


When I Drift Off, I'll Think of You

by lady_oneder



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: But I fix it, Civil War Team Iron Man, F/M, Fix-It, Hand wavy science, Memory Loss, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Reunions, Time Travel, but that's not as important, kind of endgame compliant, space travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-05-07 10:30:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 70,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19207549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_oneder/pseuds/lady_oneder
Summary: On Earth, people were still mourning for Tony Stark.In Space, Anthony has just woken up, remembering nothing but his name.With a journey home, a heartbreaking recovery, and a mission to end it all, Tony is going to need a lot more than his memory to get him through these troubling times.





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SwirlingFishes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwirlingFishes/gifts).



The moment the words “Iron Man” left his mouth, he could feel himself slipping away. Tony barely felt himself walking over and sitting down. His arm—which once was a searing pain—was numb. He stopped blinking, because it hurt too much. He couldn’t even bring himself to turn his head when he heard a “Mr. Stark?”

Peter was in front of him, but he could not really hear what he’s saying. He made out the tears runny down his dirty face, but not the words come out of him mouth. Tony tried to get “Pete” out his mouth but didn’t make it far enough before he sees Pepper come into vision. His relief was so strong that “Pep” falls out of his mouth without even trying. She was still here. She’ll still be here when he’s gone, and Morgan won’t be alone. She had a sad smile on his face while she was reassuring him.

“We’ll be okay. You can rest now.” Tony wanted to reach out, saying _no you won’t_. He saw her face trying to smile softly, making sure he’s not scared. He couldn’t bring it within himself to argue. He didn’t even notice himself slip away.

 

When Tony woke up, he was not on Earth, and he couldn’t remember who he is.

* * *

 

Peter was at home, wrapped in a blanket when the rest of the world found out about Iron Man. It was only a few days after the battle, a few days after Peter found out that _five years_ had passed by. It had hit him hard, being on Titan at one moment and watching Tony slip away in the next.

Peter hadn’t even known where to go or what to do. It wasn’t like the Vulture where he could slip away and pretend nothing happened. He didn’t have Tony to tell him it was going to be okay, and that he did a good job. Any other day, Peter would’ve been star-struck to be shoulder to shoulder with War Machine, but now all he could remember was the torn expression on the man’s face as his best friend died.

They had waited a few days before telling the world what had happened, not that they hadn’t figured it out on their own. Aliens raining down from the sky again, half the population suddenly reappearing, of course it had to be the Avengers. Where was Tony Stark to do the press coverage, to take glory in saving the world? The world saw Hulk’s arm and started to draw conclusions. Peter was sitting on the couch when news channels began to tearfully explain to the world that Iron Man—Tony Stark had died saving them.

Peter curled in on himself, biting his lip to keep himself from sobbing. He knew better than anyone that you couldn’t believe everything that came on TV. His mind flickered through all the false coverage of Spiderman over the last few years. They didn’t know Tony like he did. Peter would be seeing him in a few days. He would give him a hug, because he’s _there_. He would introduce him to his daughter, and Peter would awkwardly stammer “Congratulations” to him and Pepper since he wasn’t around for the wedding.

The news channel he was watching showed clips of some of the monuments and tributes people were putting up all over the world, primarily of Iron Man. They showed some of Tony Stark himself, people getting facial hair inspired by his, like it was 2012 again. They showed some artwork of the Black Widow and some of Captain America, whose whereabouts were inconclusive.

It had been a couple days and Peter had rarely left the couch, rarely slept, and rarely kept his eyes off the TV. Now that they were finally telling him what he already knew, he let a tear drop and turned it off. Iron Man was dead.

They didn’t open the casket at the funeral, which was probably for the better. Peter would’ve forced himself to go look and start to break down all over again. He stood there with Aunt May, who was probably going through all sorts of emotions. It took a while for Peter to remember that she hadn’t seen him in five years. Her face was only slightly older, most likely due to the stress. She hadn’t really touched his room. Peter thought that maybe she had hope all five of those years that they’d bring him back.

Peter met a lot of people at the funeral. They knew who he was now, so he reintroduced himself to Steve Rogers and the team he met back in Germany. Sam Wilson teased him when he realized Spiderman was still in high school. It made him smile for a second. He met a boy named Harley, and they both wondered what the other was doing there.

He was scared to see Miss Potts—Mrs. Stark, now. He stood back while everyone else mingled, trying to think of what he could say to the woman who lost her husband and the father of her child. He had no idea what he could say to Morgan Stark, Tony’s actual kid. He didn’t really have to say anything since Pepper laid a hand on his shoulder while he was standing by the water.

“Are you doing okay, Peter?” Peter opened his mouth to reassure her that he’s fine, but his lip wobbled. He closed his mouth and looked back at the water to avoid crying in front of her. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to spend more time with him. You know he loved you?” Peter didn’t say anything. Pepper wasn’t really expecting anything, so she opted to hold a picture frame out in his field of vision. Even though it wasn’t five years ago for him, Peter is blown away by how old the picture of him and Tony seems as Peter is presented an award for his Stark Internship. The frame looks worn, and Peter is stuck wondering how many times Tony picked it up, where did he keep it, why did he keep it? Pepper stood there with him a while before telling him he should keep it.

“What? Why?” Peter blurted, making Pepper smile.

“You’ll need some reminding how much he cared about you.” She rubbed his back before returning to the house where everyone else is. Peter stood there a bit longer, looking at the smiles on their faces, looking at his signature.

 

Peter was not surprised by how smart Morgan Stark was for her age. When he finally entered the house, she was there to greet him. Peter was a bit shocked.

“You know who I am?” Morgan frowned at him.

“My daddy had a picture of you.” Peter looked at the frame in his hands.

“Y-yeah…”

“Of course I know who you are, silly.” Peter swallowed and smiled down at her.

“Yeah, I’m very silly. What did he say about me?”

“You’re his spider-kid.”

“I’m his _what_?” Morgan smiled in a way that told Peter she was trying not to laugh.

“You stick to walls.”

“I can do more than _that_.”

“I met your aunty. She’s really nice.” Peter had a feeling she wasn’t talking about at the funeral. “Happy says you talked too much, but you’re barely saying anything.” Peter smiled.

“I think I just want to hear you talk for a bit.”

* * *

 

When Anthony first woke up, that’s all he could remember: Anthony. His name. He was laying on a cot of sorts. He thought he may have been injured, but nothing hurt. He couldn’t find a single trace of pain. He couldn’t remember what happened, how he got here. Even more concerning, he couldn’t remember anything at all.

His garb was loose fitting and as plain as the room he was in. Metal walls with a metal floor and matching metal furniture. He rubbed his hand over his face and found himself clean shaven, which meant someone had been taking care of him. He ran his hand through his hair and found that it was a medium length and clean. The tips were starting to curl. He took a look at the door and debated checking out what was on the other side when it opened by itself.

A man walked in. He looked as human as Anthony, except his eyes were a seafoam green so bright, Anthony thought they had to be fake. He carried a metal tray that had a matching bowl, cup, and silverware on it.

“Nice to see you are awake,” the man greeted with a smile. “You gave us quite a scare when you popped up. It’s been a few days since the awakening, after all. Can you understand me?”

“Where am I?” Anthony muttered. The man smiled and set the tray down on a desk in the room.

“A small planet called Yundar. We are not well known amongst common travelers.”

“A small _what_?” The man frowned and titled his head at Anthony.

“Would you like to give us some information on how you arrived here? We do understand that it was a while ago.” The man asked, ignoring Anthony’s question. He pulled out a small device that resembled a tablet and began writing on it.

“I don’t remember.” Anthony stood and walked over to grab the cup, swishing it around to make sure it was just water.

“What about a name?” Anthony looked over at the man, eyeing him up and down.

“Ant.”

“Ant?”

“That’s what I said.”

“And that’s your full name?”

“That’s what I can remember.” Anthony set the cup down after chugging it, wiping his mouth of the drops left on his chin.

“Human, correct?” Anthony paused again then nodded slightly. “Do you remember your home planet?” He bit his lip, trying to think how best to proceed.

“Where did you say I was again?”

“Yundar. Does it sound familiar to you?”

“How far is that from…” The man perked up, leaning forward a bit, pen ready to write.

“From?”

“Earth?” The man didn’t react besides his eyebrows furrowing. “Midguard?” Anthony didn’t know where that name come from, but it sounded familiar. The man still did not react. “Terra?” Another name Anthony couldn’t explain, but he finally struck a familiar chord in the man, since his eyes widened, and his pen seemed to loosen in his hand in a short burst of disbelief.

“You’re Terran?” Anthony swallowed a lump that had appeared in his throat and nodded. The man looked at the ground for a moment. He started to back out of the room.

“Wait! Where are you going?” The door slammed before Anthony could finish his sentence. His heart started to beat faster, and his hand instinctively went up to his chest. He could feel himself start to panic, and he didn’t know what to do about it. The feeling felt familiar, and he was _terrified_. He went up to the metal door and tried the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. He started to pound on the door. “Open up! Let me out!” He tried this for a few minutes before realizing that it was useless.

He slid down the metal door and ran his hands through his hair again. _Why wasn’t he on Earth? Did they kidnap him? Why couldn’t he remember anything? Why did this situation feel so familiar?_ He tried to steady his breathing. He looked around the room focusing on every little object there was in the room. He turned his attention back to the door. He could tell how thick it was when the man opened it, and Anthony knew that he could not muster the amount of strength required to get it down with physical will. He had almost completely disregarded the physical approach when he saw a lock on the door.

If he was from Earth like he thought himself to be, then he thought space would seem more unconventional. But on the thick metal door was a deadbolt lock that looked similar to one he could find on a suburban home. His eyes flickered back to the silverware brought in with him, and he let out a shaky breath.


	2. I'm Not A Genius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange knows something's up. Carol rules space. Anthony makes a friend.

When Stephen Strange held up a finger to Tony Stark in the battle, he felt something was off. This is what he saw those five years ago when he used the Time stone, but now something felt off. Stark’s expression was the same as he prepared himself for what was now inevitable, and Strange had developed a large sort of respect for the man who risked keeping what they had worked for permanent while working to bring back the fallen. The job felt already done, but the look they shared told Strange they both understood what was left to do.

Despite all they had succeeded in doing, everyone felt empty at the loss of Tony Stark. He could only nod when the team who had been on Titan with them asked if this was the one win he saw, if he knew what would happen to Stark. Stephen didn’t consider himself to be a comforting presence, but he did his best to reassure Quill that what he did on Titan was necessary for their win, and Strange could have stopped him if it was necessary. Quill was left a bit dumbfounded at that.

“How does it feel?” Quill asked. Strange was silent for a second, trying to figure out what he was asking.

“How does what feel?”

“Knowing, watching everything and not being able to do anything.” Strange looked over at Quill, who looked awfully downtrodden.

“I wouldn’t say I was not able to do anything. If anything, I ensured that everything would happen correctly,” Strange tried optimistically.

“Yeah, but what if you needed to die for it to happen?” Strange was silent. “You _did_ need to die.”

“I knew we were coming back—”

“But what if you didn’t?” Quill seemed conflicted. “Seeing all that and having to make sure everything turns out perfectly, regardless of your own wishes.” Strange gave him a tight smile.

“Isn’t that what ‘heroes’ do?” Quill looked at him. Strange couldn’t make himself look Quill in the eyes, so he walked off.

It was unusual to see what Stark had achieved the five years they had been gone, though Strange had saw it before. Though he managed to remain stoic while arriving at the man’s serene house on the lake, a wave of depressing was falling over everyone when they caught sight of Pepper or Morgan Stark. The pain was clear as day on the kid’s, Spiderman’s, face.

He got to meet Steve Rogers and the rest of the team that were absent from their trip to space and beyond. He met the king of Wakanda, followed by the princess, who seemed prepared to study every aspect of his magical ability. He met the infamous Carol Danvers, a figure he would admit he was surprised to see did quite a bit of damage to Thanos’ forces no matter which timeline he looked into.

“So, you used the Time Stone?” The Danvers asked. Her tone sounded threatening, but the smirk on her face indicated she was impressed.

“For the greater good, yes,” Strange answered plainly.

“So we have you to thank our skins for?”

“Or Stark, some might say.” Danvers shrugged her shoulders. Stark was clearly a sore subject to talk about no matter who you were talking to. While neither of them knew him particularly well, there was an unspoken sense of respect that reanimated every time the man was mentioned.

“But you had to make sure that happened, yeah?”

“Also ensured his death because of it.” Her expression dimmed at that.

“There’s no one to blame.”

“Blame is a funny word,” Strange mused with a raised eyebrow. “No one’s to _blame_ but it still happened.” Danvers raised an eyebrow back.

“You don’t seem the type to lose sleep over stuff like this, Sorcerer Supreme.”

“Price of saving the world.” Danvers gave him a smile.

“Nice to know Earth has you around.”

“You won’t be staying?” She gave him a look that said, ‘you know the answer to that.’

“You don’t need me. They have you and all the other ‘Avengers.’” She sounded amused at the name, but Strange couldn’t be bothered to figure out why. He nodded in acknowledgement, but Danvers saw discontent on his face. “Something wrong?”

“Keep an eye out,” Strange warned. Danvers snorted, giving him a quizzical look.

“In _space_? All of it?”

“Something’s off.” Strange could admit he sounded crazy, but he was talking to a woman who was part alien. “When Stark snapped, something happened, something I didn’t account for when I first saw it through the time stone.”

“Something like?”

“Something possibly out of my league.” Danvers looked off-put by this. “I am bound by my earthly duties. I can keep an eye out as best I can, but the infinity stones are other worldly. They affect more than what happens on Earth. When Stark snapped, I believe things changed elsewhere. And when he…died, it felt off.”

“I’ll keep an eye out.” When they parted ways, Strange felt they had a better understanding of each other. He also felt that he and Danvers were in on a secret about the universe that no one else knew about. He couldn’t bring himself to tell anyone else, not after things were starting the settle down. He may not feel the five years lost like everyone else, but he could read a situation fairly well. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to ensure the bad times before the good news came again.

* * *

 

Anthony figured out quickly that he wasn’t as important as he originally thought he was. While the locked doors were fairly alarming, he had no problem leaving the facility once he escaped the room. The people in charge of the facility were fairly docile and didn’t seem very intimidating. It looked like a building to house unusual patients like himself, except it looked nothing like Earth.

To start, the sky was more of a purple-ish blue rather than the sky blue he thought he knew so well. It was much colder outside than he was expecting, and Anthony couldn’t figure out if that was because it was nighttime or not. He could see his breath due to the cold air, and goosebumps were starting to grow on his arms. The people around looked just like that, people. There were some eyes similar to that of the man he met before, but they otherwise looked normal. They had on heavier clothing than himself, and they all seemed to be quite busy walking through the marketplace like it wasn’t dark outside.

Anthony had nothing to his name. No one seemed to pay him any mind as he walked throughout the outdoor marketplace. Part of him hoped that someone would recognize him and tell him who he was, but he hardly got a glance. Some people looked at his shivering form as he walked by, but they looked almost as bad off as he was. His heart nearly broke in half when a woman with clothes thinner than his, though she had more layers, offered a thin cardigan to him. He was half-tempted to take it until he saw the small gaggle of children following her. He shook his head and waved his hand, indicating for her to keep it. She said something, and he had no idea what.

“What?” Anthony asked. She frowned at him, like she had no idea what he was saying either. She motioned to the cardigan again. “No, ma’am, you keep it. You need it more.” She gave no indication that she understood him. He had no idea how to resolve this. This complication made him realize how much harder it might be for him to get home, wherever that it.

“Looks like you’re in a bit of a pickle.” Anthony instantly turned at the sound of familiar English. It was another woman, who was alone this time. She had a poncho with a hood that covered her red hair and an amused smile on her face. The woman turned to the other. “This man wants you to keep the jacket for yourself or the children. He is a good man.” Anthony felt his neck heat up at the last bit, but he was mostly paying attention to the fact that the woman with children seemed to understand everything the redhead said to her. The woman with the children gave him a soft smile and pushed the thin jacket into his shaking hand before patting it. She guided the children away. Anthony looked at the redhead in disbelief as he shrugged the jacket on and rubbed his arms.

“Why did she understand you and not me?” Anthony asked. The redhead smiled and moved her hair aside so Anthony could see a small technological device placed behind her ear.

“Universal translator,” she said, tapping the device. Anthony’s eyebrows furrowed, and he didn’t realize he was in her personal space looking at the device until she started chuckling.

“How would that even work? It doesn’t make sense. You understanding them... Yeah, that adds up. I can get behind the translation, but how can they understand you?”

“How can you understand me?” The woman inquired with a smirk. Anthony opened his mouth to retort but then closed it.

“You’re not speaking English?” The woman’s eyebrows raised at that.

“English? You speak English?” Anthony didn’t respond, feeling uneasy by how surprised everyone seemed to be at the news that he wasn’t from around here.

“I’m just saying, the science behind it…I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“And you’re quite the scientist, aren’t you?” The woman clicked her tongue and tilted her head to the side. Anthony frowned.

“I don’t know.” She stared at him for a while, scrutinizing him.

“You’re not from here. What’s your name?”

“Ant,” Anthony said, giving her the same name he gave the man from the facility.

“Ant,” she repeated. He rolled his eyes.

“Is that a Yundar thing? The repeating of the name every time I say it?”

“Were you one of the fallen?” She started walking, so he followed alongside her.

“The fallen?” She gave him a dumbfounded look.

“The disappeared?” His face gave no indication he had any idea what she was talking. She whispered the next part, “Thanos?” The name made his stomach drop, but he didn’t understand why. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I don’t remember anything.” The woman kept walking, not talking for a while.

“That’s unusual. Maybe it’s a side effect. I’m called Dalia, by the way.”

“Side effect? What exactly happened.” Dalia suddenly looked downtrodden. She stopped in front of one of the many tables in the market.

“You hungry? You look like you could use a meal or two.” Anthony gave put up no resistance to getting another meal. He had passed on the soup given in the facility, scared to what they could have put in it, but now he was starting to feel the effects of having a lower blood sugar.

He didn’t know what exactly he was eating, but it reminded him of gyros. Dalia ate much slower.

“It was about five years ago when Thanos made half the universe disappear.” There that name was again, and Tony was starting to lose his appetite as a wave of anxiety hit him.

“How—how does any man do that?” Dalia snorted.

“He was no man. He was from Titan, not that you know where that is.” She looked at him for confirmation. “He had this gauntlet of some sort. No one knows exactly how he did it. He was on Terra when it happened. If there’s any answers, they’re probably there.” She hesitated for a second. “I heard it was a man that took him down though.”

“On Terra?” She nodded.

“The same one from all those years ago. Terra was invaded by the Chitauri, and there was this man that destroyed them. I can’t remember his name. No one here would, these people don’t get out much.” Dalia gestured to the area around her, and Anthony knew she was talking about Yundar. “You’d need to go to Xandar or somewhere to hear about it.”

“You said half the universe disappeared?” Anthony brought her attention back. She nodded.

“That’s not an exaggeration. You should’ve seen it…You probably did and forgot about it.” She winced in apology, but he wasn’t offended. “There was dust everywhere. You ever seen a burning building and all the ash that’s left behind? It looks like snow. It was kind like that, except it was heavier and dirty. Took months around here to get all the dust, all the people.”

Anthony stared down at his hand when she described the dust. He rubbed his fingers together, trying to remember something, feeling empty inside. Anthony bit his lip and let his head hang. Dalia looked like she wanted to ask him something, but she decided against it.

“Um, that was years ago.” Anthony looked up at this. _Had he been gone for years?_ “Yeah, so you can imagine the surprise when people just start popping up. That guy is a universal legend now. I’ll find out his name when I go to Xandar. It’s bothering me that I forgot.”

“Take me with you,” Anthony blurted out before thinking about it.

“Excuse me?”

“To Xandar. You implied it was heavily populated. I might know where to go from there, but I don’t know what I’m doing on Yundar.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay and try and figure that out?” Anthony huffed.

“I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“And you think you will on Xandar?” Dalia asked with a snort.

“I need to get to Terra.”

“You remember?”

“No, but I feel like I belong there.”

“That’s reassuring.” Anthony rolled his eyes.

“I’m not telling you to drive me there yourself—”

“Drive—”

“Just get me to Xandar, and I’ll be good. I don’t have any money, but I can trade—”

“Trade what? Your luxurious jacket?” She motioned to the thin piece of clothing he recently acquired.

“Your pity is appreciated,” he bit back sarcastically. He looked down at his hands again, trying to remember why they brought him so much agony. “I’m handy.” She hummed in confusion. “Do you need something fixed? I’m good with that kind of stuff.”

“Oh, so I accidentally stumbled some kind of genius?” Anthony gave her a tight smile.

“Nope. Just a handyman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We will keep tabs on what's happening with the Guardians and those on Earth. It won't be too long before Tony starts seeing some familiar faces...


	3. A Familiar Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quill is sad. Anthony is remembering his sass. The Guardians visit Xandar.

Peter Quill wished he could say everything was alright. He was able to sit beside Rocket again while they argued about who was the better pilot, and Rocket would get distracted halfway through to make sure Groot was alright. Drax would snore obnoxiously loud after being awake only seconds ago. Nebula was back on board after an exponential amount of change. Seriously, Quill was still trying to figure out if they brought back the right person. Quill would softly play “Rocket Man” when everyone was relaxing, trying to relax himself. He would almost be content when his mind when his mind started to drift back towards Gamora.

Peter tried convincing himself everything was different because Thor was on board, but when he was alone, he would mouth along to the words like Gamora used to do because she didn’t want to admit that she liked Quill’s tastes. He found himself sniffling and trying to find something of hers to hold onto.

“You alright, Quill?” Quill’s cries abruptly came to a stop when Thor made his presence known. He was suddenly very relieved it was Thor that found him instead of Drax, who would’ve watched and awkwardly brought it up later.

“I…” Thor sat in the seat beside Quill’s. “No.”

“I never got to express how sorry I am for your loss.” Thor’s voice was low yet strong, reminding Quill that this god, despite his ragged appearance, was raised to be a king.

“Thanks, man.” Quill’s sniffles were the only sounds to be heard for a couple of minutes. “Can you tell me what it was like?”

“What it was like?”

“Those years.” Quill felt an ounce of regret when he saw how Thor stiffened. “That Strange guy—god, what an asshole—he was just like ‘it’s been five years, we gotta go!’ All of a sudden we’re fighting, and Stark is snapping his fingers… I’m sorry about that, by the way. You guys were friends?”

“Yes and thank you.” Thor was quiet for a moment. “I can’t tell you much, since I spent most of those years hiding away.”

“What about Thanos? Strange said that guy wasn’t the same Thanos we knew. And I saw Gamora. What was all the talk about time travel?” Thor’s face scrunched up like he was pained to even remember it.

“We found him a few weeks after the…you know. His arm was burnt to hell. He told us he used the stones to destroy the stones. I cut his head off.” Quill choked up a bit and gave an incredulous look to Thor, who had not flinched. “We went our separate ways. Five years later, this ant guy tells us he has a way to travel through time. We each go down our paths to retrieve the stones. Got them, and here we are.

“And Thanos.” Thor chuckled darkly. “And Thanos. Thanos found out about our plans and came from the past to stop them. Stark got rid of him and his army.” Quill nodded, not entirely satisfied with the story.

“And his army? So Stark got rid of  _ everybody _ ? Everybody that came with Thanos, I mean.”

“I would assume so.”

“It’s just that, Gamora was there. The old one.” Thor looked over at him, his expression solemn.

“I doubt Stark accounted for everybody, Quill. I do apologize.” Quill waved his hand, pretending like the words didn’t break him even further.

“No, it’s fine. The universe is saved and all that jazz.” Quill stood abruptly. “I’m going to head off to bed.”

“Are you alright?”

“I will be.”

“Do you know where we’re headed?” Quill paused. They had been debating it for a while, since they left Terra behind. Despite the banter they had before, Thor had no desire to control where the ship was headed. Without Gamora, Quill felt lost. He decided it was time to start making decisions.

“Set course for Xandar. I heard they’re rebuilding, could use some help.”

* * *

 

Dalia had her own ship she had bought from what seemed the equivalent of a junkyard. It was beat up to hell and looked like it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, at least before Anthony got to it.

“Why exactly did you buy a piece of junk when you had zero mechanical skills under your belt?” Anthony asked while he was taking a look at the electrical under the dashboard inside the ship.

“It was a deal I couldn’t pass up. You can talk all you want, but who has a mechanic fixing the piece of junk for free?”

“Not for free, for a ride.”

“For a ride to a place I’m already going.”

“Nothing’s free.” Anthony couldn’t see Dalia, but he could imagine that she was rolling her eyes. “You could start helping me instead of standing there looking pretty, might get things done faster.” He could hear her footsteps as she got closer to the ship.

“You get sassy when you get comfortable.”

“It’s not sass, it’s intellectual polite speech.” She hummed and started to hand him tools when he asked for them to the best of her ability. The tools weren’t exactly what he was used to, and he couldn’t figure out if that was due to the seemingly alien planet or his lack of memory. Regardless, he quickly adapted and was able to figure out how each tool was meant to be used. Either that or he used them incorrectly in a useful way.

“She’s not a beauty, but she had a great personality,” Anthony said with a smile, patting the outside of the ship when he was able to get it up and running. Dalia rolled her eyes and hopped into the pilot’s seat, toggling different switches to make sure things were working correctly. “Can you drive this thing, or do I have to learn how to do that, too?”

“I miss you being too humble to take a jacket from a lady,” Dalia said fondly. She looked at him and nodded her head towards the seat beside her. “Come on in co-pilot.”

Xandar was not as far away as Anthony was expecting it to be. It was also getting a lot of traffic. Dalia reminded him how busy the entire planet was before Thanos, and now it only seemed to have tripled with people trying to reunite with their lost ones. There was also the fact that everyone was trying to contribute to rebuilding some of the major cities that were attacked in an attempt to restore some of the universal economy.

“What do you think?” Dalia asked once they approached it. “Look familiar?”

“Maybe,” Anthony lied. He was, in fact, amazed. It looked so much like Earth’s metropolitan cities, but so different in the fact that it was much more advanced. From their height, Anthony could see a lot of them still looked like humans, but many were species he had never seen before. This only reassured him that he had to be from Earth. It was surprisingly easy to land on Xandar. It was nothing like he was expecting, which was a strict requirement for identification.

“It’s no Terra. These people can heavily retaliate if there’s danger, not that anything is really a threat unless you’re… you know.”

Upon leaving the ship, the technology was what immediately drew Anthony’s eye. There were many average citizens roaming around, but there was a more diverse crowd dressed up in all kinds of gear, using all kinds of devices. Anthony nearly ran into someone while he was checking out someone use a hologram feature on a watch-like device.

“Watch out. I don’t need you telling me you’ve got coordination issues when I’m about to ditch you on a foreign planet,” Dalia said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You're fine. Go be a nomad or whatever you do.” She gave him a soft smile. “I’ll be fine.” She pulled out a device from behind her back, something that resembled a watch he was just eyeing. “What is this?”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t spend my hard-earned units on you if it was a burden.” Anthony took the watch. It was a bit worn with the screen decorated with a few scratches.

“Did you spend any ‘hard-earned units?’” Anthony asked with a snort. She gave him a smile and patted his wrist. She pulled up a screen on her own watch, and Anthony watched as she tapped several things before he heard a beep from his own device.

“I’ve transferred you 100 units. I’m feeling generous today.” Anthony stared at her, shocked into silence. “I sent it to the serial number, so you need to actually register yourself to the serial number in case of any emergencies.”

“Serial number? Is this like a social security thing? Am I taking someone’s identity?”

“That identity doesn’t exist. You are just one of the unlucky souls who disappeared all those years ago, and now you are trying to reestablish your life.” Anthony smiled at her, and she smiled back softly.

“It’s kind of shitty, isn’t it?” He teased. “Old school.”

“Good thing you’re a handyman.” Dalia started to walk away but stopped to look back at Anthony. “I hope you figure out who you are.”

* * *

 

“Well, isn’t this nostalgic?” Rocket said upon exiting the Benatar.

“I am Groot,” Groot muttered upon exiting behind him. Rocket let out a dark chuckle.

“We don’t have time for that,” Quill called out. He and Thor strolled out together.

“What exactly are we here for again? I saw no distress calls.”

“This whole place is a distress call,” Quill replied. He scoffed and motioned around him. “Look at these people. They’re sad.”

“And you’re not?”

“I find joy in helping others!” Quill beamed. Rocket took one look at him and scoffed. “I do!”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact this this has become a Hub for find lost loved ones?”

“Lost loved ones? I hadn’t heard,” Quill sniffed, peering around at his surroundings innocently.

“Quill—” Rocket stopped when he saw Quill walk off like he suddenly became interested in something. Rocket felt a bit guilty, since the last time he saw Quill before their return, and he was snarking him like he was now.

“Let him be.” Rocket jumped a bit at Nebula’s chill of a voice. He looked up to see she had come up right beside him while everyone else walked ahead.

“I am, like a good captain,” Rocket explained sarcastically. Nebula didn’t show a lot of emotion, but Rocket would be lying to himself if he claimed they hadn’t come to some sort of understanding over the last few years.

“They haven’t had the time to mourn like you have.”

“Mourn? They didn’t suddenly lose their entire team or feel someone slip through their fingers,” Rocket muttered under his breath, feeling the insincerity in his voice.

“No, but they still have to mourn for the years lost.” Rocket didn’t comment on that. “It’s alright to keep mourning. There’s no set amount of time.”

“What’s there to mourn? Everyone’s back.”

“It still happened,” Nebula whispered. Rocket looked up at her, but she was looking straight ahead. Most of the team was concerned with how Quill was taking the loss of Gamora, and Rocket could tell Nebula was taking a backstep in the whole grieving process.

“It still happened,” Rocket confirmed. Nebula hung back as he walked a bit faster, telling Groot to enjoy his time off the ship since he was complaining so much. Nebula felt a bit of comfort in his incessant scolding. A warm feeling grew inside her before her stomach dropped. She stopped walking, drawing the attention of Rocket. “Something wrong?”

“Just thought I saw something…” Rocket watched for a while before he started walking again. Nebula’s eyes were stuck on the crowd, trying to find the head of the familiar mechanic who she thought she saw looking down at his watch.

 


	4. The Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a very important job to do. Things are starting to get interesting for Anthony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready for a visit to our favorite Spider Boy?

“You’re distracted,” Peter jumped when MJ spoke from behind him. She had an unimpressed look on her face. Peter looked across the table at Ned, who just shrugged.

“What?” MJ gave him a deadpan stare. “I’m fine.”

“You’ve missed a lot of school.” Peter gave a nervous chuckle.

“Everyone’s missed a lot of school.”

“You more than usual.” MJ took a seat next to Peter at the lunch table. Peter tried giving her a reassuring smile, but her face only softened at the sight. “Listen, I know you were probably close to Stark—” Peter gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head unconvincingly.

“Not—not that close. It was just…” MJ narrowed her eyes.

“I thought you had an internship?” Peter swallowed and looked down at his hands.

“Yeah, but…” MJ looked at him expectedly. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You don’t have to. I’m sorry.” They shared a smile before Peter jumped again when Flash sat down next to him.

“Really, Parker?” He looked rough, almost as rough as Peter. His clothes were wrinkled, and his hair was unkempt. “The whole world is dealing with the death of Iron Man, and you’re over here claiming the grief for yourself. The ‘Stark Internship?’ Really?” Flash sounded angry. Peter just stared at him.

“It is real. Why would he lie about that?” Ned defended him.

“I don’t know why Parker does any of the shit he does, but you’d think he’d know when to stop.” Flash looked at Peter, expecting retaliation or a fight, but all Peter could do is stare at him.

“Leave him alone,” Ned demanded. Flash chuckled and turned towards him.

“Or what? Your friend Spiderman will show up to give me a lesson? Where was he, huh?” Peter let out a shaky breath.

“Where was he?” Peter repeated.

“Where was he when Iron Man died?”

“Spiderman is a web-slinging vigilante, not a paramedic,” MJ deadpanned. “Tony Stark died saving the universe. How did you think he was going to survive?” Flash was already up and walking away when MJ began the second sentence. She rolled her eyes but was clearly satisfied she got him to go away.

“Thanks,” Peter muttered.

“He was getting on my nerves.” Peter gave her a soft smile, but he didn’t feel any better after the whole ordeal. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I will be.”

Peter was walking home from school with Ned and, surprisingly, MJ in tow when his phone started ringing. He immediately got an uneasy feeling, thinking the only person who could be calling had to be May since his two friends were with him. The only problem was that she was supposed to be at work. Peter pulled out his brand-new phone, supplied by Stark Industries after explaining to Happy that he wasn’t entirely sure what happened to his own after he went after the wizard, Dr. Strange. The uneasy feeling didn’t leave him when he saw Happy’s name on the screen.

“Is that—” Peter held up a hand to quiet Ned.

“Hello?” Peter answered. Peter immediately heard a relieved sigh from the other side.

“Hey, kid. I need a favor,” Happy said, sounding out of breath. Peter must have had a surprised look on his face since MJ and Ned were both giving him concerned looks. He shook his head and waved his hand.

“Yeah, is it an emergency? Like, Spider—” Ned’s eyes bugged out of his head at even the slightest mention of his alter-ego.

“No, no, kid, no,” Happy interrupted. “Trust me, you’re the last person I’d call if the business was that serious.”

“Thanks, Happy.”

“It’s a Friday night, so there’s no school tomorrow. You’re free, right?”

“Well, some teenagers find that they’d like to spend their Friday nights doing things—”

“Can you watch Morgan?” Peter went silent. He looked at Ned and MJ, completely forgetting that they couldn’t hear what was being said. They mouthed at him, but Peter was too distracted to make out what they were saying.

“What?”

“Morgan? Morgan Stark. I know you met her. She’s talked about you before. I need someone of high enough clearance to take care of her—that’s you—and someone who is not too important, so they don’t have anything else going on—that’s also you.”

“Morgan?”

“Are you on something? I know it’s Friday, but Karen has told me you don’t usually go out—”

“No, I can do it.” Peter’s heart was starting to beat faster as he considered the responsibility and if he had anything else going on, which he didn’t.

“Great. I’m going to drop her off at your place. We’ll be there in five.” Happy hung up before Peter could reply. He looked at his phone screen and then up at Ned and MJ.

“You in trouble, nerd?” MJ asked nonchalantly.

“I gotta get home!” Peter blurted and started jogging down the streets. He ignored their protests to slow down and tell them what was up. He hadn’t broken a sweat nor run out of breath by the time he reached his apartment building. His heart starting beating faster when he recognized a familiar, sleek vehicle parked outside. He raced inside.

“Christ, there you are. I told you five. Where were you?” Happy started to scold with an annoyed look on his face. Peter was barely paying attention to him since Morgan was holding the man’s hand giving Peter a bright smile.

“I was walking home from school.” Happy sighed and gestured towards the door. Peter stammered out an apology while moving to unlock the apartment. He gestured for them to come in and awkwardly shut the door behind him.

“It’s just for a few hours.”

“Does Mrs. Stark know she’s here?” Happy gave him a deadpan look.

“Of course she knows she’s here. She was the one who suggested you.” Peter’s eyes went wide.

“Mrs. Stark?”

“I would’ve called a few other names before stopping on yours, but she was so sure you’d be competent.”

“I am!” Happy looked startled by his outburst. Peter cleared his throat and spoke more calmly. “I will be.” Happy stared at him for a couple seconds before sighing and gesturing to the pink backpack Morgan had on her shoulders.

“She has some stuff in there to keep her occupied if you can’t do it yourself. Feed her. She’s a big girl, so she can tell you what she wants.” Peter nodded and repeated under his breath everything that Happy was saying to him when the man pulled out a couple of twenties and slapped them into Peter’s hand. “Call me if there’s any trouble.” Peter looked down at the bills while Happy started to walk out the door.

“That’s it?” Happy frowned at him and scoffed.

“Yeah, that’s it. This isn’t a top-secret Avengers mission, kid. Just keep an eye on her for a few hours.” Happy closed the door behind him, so Peter was left alone with Morgan. He turned towards her and gave her a sheepish smile.

“Hey, Morgan.” She smiled and started pulling stuff out of her backpack.

“I drew a picture of you, and Mommy said I could give it to you. I asked Uncle Happy to take me, but he said you were busy. I asked Mommy, and she said that she’d get me a way to see you, so I should keep my picture with me in case I do.” Peter looked down at the picture Morgan gave him. He was expecting a picture of Spiderman swinging through the city, because that’s what kids usually drew. He was a bit blown away when he saw it was a simply a boy with curly brown hair holding hands with a smaller girl and a bigger man frowning in the background. Peter laughed.

“Is that Happy? Uncle Happy?” Peter asked, pointing at the man. Morgan giggled and nodded.

“Don’t tell him. He doesn’t look very happy in the picture.”

“No, I think you captured him perfectly.” Morgan beamed at him, and Peter was starting to think it might not be so difficult to babysit after all.  He was getting Morgan settled down with a small snack when a knock sounded on his door. He opened it to find an unamused Ned and MJ.

“Look who’s home,” MJ greeted, pushing past him to walk into the apartment, Ned following after her. Peter stammered out an apology and started to explain the situation when they both laid eyes on Morgan.

“You have a baby on your couch,” Ned muttered awkwardly. Morgan turned to glare at him.

“I’m not a baby. I’m four,” she corrected with a pout.

“That’s pretty big,” MJ commented, taking a seat in the living room. Morgan gave her a shy smile and nodded. “What’s your name?”

“Morgan.”

“Sweet. I’m MJ.” Both of the girls looked expectantly at Ned and Peter, who were standing dumbfounded at how easily MJ took to Morgan. Ned slowly raised his hand in a small wave.

“I’m Ned.” Ned turned his head towards Peter. “And this is Morgan…”

“Stark, yeah,” Peter finished off Ned’s thought. Ned nodded but didn’t say anything. Peter went to sit beside Morgan, ignoring the concerned look both of them were giving him.

“Cool.”

* * *

 

Anthony found himself quickly accustomed to Xandar. It helped that he wasn’t the only foreigner. 100 units didn’t go very far, and he ended up spending most of it on a busted up universal translator that looked like it had seen better days. He found himself in a run-down vehicle shop, asking if he could borrow a couple tools.

Anthony felt at home with safety goggles over his eyes, a tool in his hand, and hunched over a new piece of technology. The translator required micro tools, but he was very glad to find out that most of the damage done to make the device start working could be reworked with the technology already implemented. It wasn’t the shiniest or smoothest piece of material one could find, but it worked. Next, Anthony started to work on the watch Dalia had generously donated. There was nothing _wrong_ with it, per se, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be improved. The display had been a bit glitchy, so he spent about half an hour ironing out some of the bumps. That was mostly coding, which came naturally once he figured out how to use the keyboard they lent to him. He worked on figuring out some of the other programming on the device while he was at it.

“You’re pretty good at that.” One of the men, someone of a species he was not familiar with, said from behind him. Anthony looked over his shoulder and gave him a forced smile.

“Maybe.”

“You got somewhere to be? Someone looking for you?” Anthony hesitated. He didn’t know the answer to that, and he didn’t know what he should tell the man.

“Unsure.” The man nodded, not showing any emotion on his face.

“Okay, I can respect the secrecy. I’m just asking to offer you a job.” Anthony paused his worked. The man smiled when he saw his reaction. “You’re a mechanic, aren’t you? You clearly know your way around this stuff.” Anthony coughed.

“I do my best.”

“There’s lots of business coming by. Maybe you can stick around for a couple weeks and lend an extra set of hands. We’ll make it worth your while. I’ll even give you a starting bonus. I just need you to help out with the overflow, and, if you want, you might even have a permanent place here after things settle down.” Anthony was silent as he contemplated the offer.

“How much?” The man laughed, wagging his finger.

“Smart man. Money first. Let’s say 1000 units bonus. 5000 for the next two weeks and 2500 after that if you decide to stay.” Anthony started to work again as he considered the offer. He knew he didn’t need a job, but he did need a way to get home. It couldn’t be too difficult to hitch a ride to Earth, but, based on the way people seemed to react when “Terra” is mentioned, he didn’t think Earth would be too fond of non-human invaders. Gaining enough money for a small ship may allow him a stealthier entrance. He just had to figure out how much that would be.

“Deal,” Anthony said just as the man was starting to walk away. The man turned around, surprised that he had agreed so quickly. He smiled and held out his hand.

“Jole.” Anthony plastered on a movie star smile and shook his hand.

“Ant.”

“Alright, Ant. You start tomorrow. If I were you, I’d look to get an identity established for that serial number.” Jole nodded towards the watch Anthony had been working on. “Easier to pay you if you do.”

When he finished dabbling with some of the technology, he went out into the city, which was still bustling at night. He had remained in relatively rural areas, since that was where Dalia dropped him off, but he was blown away by the bright lights that lit the city up at night. There was something in particular that caught his eyes. On one of the buildings was a large banner hanging, completely covering that side of the skyscraper. Some people pointed at it as they passed it by, and it gave Anthony chills. He couldn’t figure out why.

The banner consisted of a metal head, a helmet. The face of it was gold, and it was clean of any facial features besides the glowing eyes that glared down at its audience. Why they would have something so intimidating hanging, Anthony didn’t know. Then, his attention was drawn towards the words underneath: “Our Savior: The Iron Man”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: We check up on someone we haven't yet, and certain people would recognize Tony Stark anywhere...


	5. Wife and Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We check in on another one of the fallen. Anthony's getting closer to leaving. The Guardians come to an important realization.

James Barnes was trying his hardest to establish a normal life. Everyone seemed to remind him that it had been five years since the snap and even longer since there was a warrant out for his arrest. He expected to feel lost with Steve gone, but, more than ever, Bucky just wanted to return to Wakanda.

Sam had taken to his new duty easily, and Bucky was left wondering how he managed to recover so easily. He had asked Bucky what he was going to do, and there was no answer. Sam wanted to reaffirm that Bucky had his unwavering support no matter where he went, but an Avengers spot was always open for him. Bucky said he would consider the offer.

He hadn’t considered the offer. He hadn’t even begun. For a while, he just rested with the rest of the team. He attended Stark’s funeral and questioned whether he should even be there. He attended Natasha’s funeral and felt a pull at his heart the entire time, never getting to confirm that he had remembered her.

Bucky was walking the New York streets one night when he stumbled upon a shrine, one of many. Stark’s face was plastered all over the city. This one featured a particularly large poster of the man’s alter ego along with several picture frames of the man’s face. It made Bucky wonder whether people had those or went out of their way to print pictures and buy frames. Maybe they were selling them like that to make a profit, knowing they could benefit from the foreign grief people were feeling. Millions had gotten their loved ones back, and they lost the hero that helped.

Bucky saw monuments and shrines of multiple Avengers. It was easy when you started looking. Banner (or was it just the Hulk now?) had already built up quite the reputation since they had been gone. It was no longer odd to see the Hulk with a tamer expression on his face, complemented by glasses. He was being praised for being the strongest avenger, but no one forgot that it was an Iron Man gauntlet on his hand.

He tried to ignore the ones of Captain America. It reminded him too much of the times where he couldn’t remember who he was, when he would find himself in a museum looking at Steve’s face and not being able to tell who he was.

Within a matter of weeks, Bucky had gone from loving life in Wakanda to seeing Steve for the first time in months to fighting for his life against aliens to waking up and finding out five years had passed. Now, he had to try and decide what to do from there.

Bucky returned to the safe house, a temporary location due to the compound being destroyed. It was dark, but he didn’t bother turning on any of the lights. He went over to his phone, which he had purposefully left on the kitchen counter when he left for his walk. He scrolled through some of his contacts, looking briefly at Sam’s name. He tapped on a different name and listened to it ring.

“Sergeant Barnes? It is quite late in New York, isn’t it?” A familiar voice commented with amusement.

“Just a bit.” There was a bit of silence as Bucky contemplated what to say next. He was relieved when he didn’t have to say anything.

“Missing us, are you? Wouldn’t be surprised. All the pretty girls are over here,” they teased. “And they miss you, too.” Bucky snorted and ran a hand over his face.

“Actually, I was missing the sheep,” He responded. He heard a clicking of the tongue.

“Just like a man.” They laughed on their side of the line. “How early should we send a jet?”

“Can’t you just book me a flight to Wakanda?” Bucky teased.

“I’m going to ignore that. Technically, no flights should be coming, since this is a delicate time. But I have on good authority that princesses can do what they please.” Bucky smiled.

* * *

 

Anthony, easily enough, was able to buy a pod for about 5000 units. He was quite proud of himself. He ignored the laughs when he brought the rusted piece of machinery back to the shop.

“Ant, what is this?” One of his new coworkers poked fun. “Is that rust? I’ve never seen rust on a ship before.”

“Technically, it’s a pod,” Anthony corrected. He smiled and patted it, ignoring some of the rust that seemed to fall off. “Small and speedy.”

“Speedy? Did they tell you that?” Jole snorted when he took a look at the thing.

“Well, yes.” They all shared a laugh at his apparent naivety. “If it’s not, it will be when I get my hands on it.”

“Well, confidence will get you halfway, I suppose,” Jole remarked while clapping a hand on Anthony’s shoulder. “Do you need help?”

“Potentially,” Anthony muttered while tearing off some paneling that revealed some dated wiring underneath. “Not much familiar with alien technology.”

“Alien?” Jole repeated. “How about ancient.” Jole pointed to some of the frayed wires. “This looks like it could be updated a few hundred years. Maybe it’s Terran.” Another coworker snorted.

“Right. Is Terra even up to par on spaceships?” They all shared a laugh while Anthony stood confused.

“How do you guys know so much about Terra? Have you been there?” A few squinted at him like they were trying to determine if he was serious. Jole took pity upon him.

“Terra’s kind of out of the loop as far as intergalactic trade and communications. Let’s just say they have trust issues.” Jole started to look at some of the loose screws in Anthony’s pod while Anthony tore off a few of the other panels.

“Have you tried?” Jole chortled.

“Ant, it’s not illegal to go. Just be careful or they’ll blow you out of the sky.” Anthony felt a drop in his stomach. “That said, it’s not like anyone is eager to get there. They don’t have much to offer.”

“Wait a minute, Jole, I heard those suckers got to the moon,” another coworker teased. Anthony found himself smiling at their banter.

“Which moon?”

“Their moon.”

“It got a name?”

“‘The moon.’” They all shared another laugh while Anthony shook his head and got to work.

Anthony did need to refer to Jole’s expertise on a lot of things. Any writing on the ship was written in a foreign language Anthony couldn’t decipher by just looking at it. He put translating eyeglasses on his mental to-do list as soon as he ran into this problem. The next problem was how dated the technology was. Even without the others making fun of Earth, Anthony could agree that the technology was dated. He was almost sure this stuff was older than Windows 95.

The first issue was getting the entire thing up and running. Whether it would be safe to steer and take out of the atmosphere could only be determined whether the thing would start up in the first place. That was about a day’s work that Anthony got the hang of once he knew what had to be replaced with what. He couldn’t help the celebratory yelp that escaped his mouth when the machine powered to life. He had missed the decorative lines that covered the ship, which now glowed a pale blue.

“Nice work,” Jole said from his workspace. “Take that as a sign that you’ll be leaving soon.”

“Well, I’ve got to get the rest up and running,” Anthony mumbled. “But, yeah. Most likely.

“That’s a shame. The others were getting attached to you,” Jole grunted with a smirk. Anthony chuckled at the familiar banter. Jole over the past few weeks tended to show his care through teasing comments. It reminded him of someone, but Anthony couldn’t put a name or face to it no matter how hard he tried.

“Don’t you have a wife and kids to get home to,” Anthony snarked back playfully. He laughed when he heard Jole shuffle, probably to check his watch, then curse at the realization that it was very late. Anthony didn’t make any sign that he was going to stop working as Jole started to pack up. Everyone else had long since left, while Anthony was devoting a significant amount of time to each part of his vessel. It was dark outside, and, as Jole went to turn off the rest of the lights in the shop, Anthony’s light concentrated on what he was working on and remained the only thing to illuminate his face.

“You coming?” Jole mumbled out tiredly.

“Can’t. Gotta finish this," Tony muttered stubbornly. He heard Jole sigh.

“You’re going to work yourself to death. Is that a habit of yours, because I swear I hardly ever see you stop for a meal?” Jole was leaning up against the open garage door of the shop, watching Anthony diligently work.

“The sooner this is done, the sooner I can get back to where I’m supposed to be.”

“And where’s that?” Jole wasn’t surprised when Anthony didn’t respond. “Is it the same with you?”

“Is what the same with me?”

“Wife and kids and such to get home to.” Anthony paused at those words and thought about them hard. His brain was muffled, but he couldn’t help but feel those words were trying to tell him a story, remind him of something he should already know. Jole fell silent in concern when he noticed Anthony had stopped working. “I get it. Just make sure you’re healthy enough when you get to them again, alright? Lock up when you’re done.”

“Alright,” Anthony whispered. Anthony had yet to get back to work when Jole walked out, dropping the keys off at the desk. He looked down at the circuit board he had been working on, but he couldn’t concentrate on it anymore. His mind kept repeating Jole’s words, “Wife and kids.” He felt a mix of sadness and joy at the words, and he started to tear up. He couldn’t figure out why.

* * *

 

Nebula wouldn’t say anything, but she was slowly becoming disturbed by Quill’s desperate antics to find Gamora. He would never exclusively state that was what he was trying to do, but the entire team knew this and kept their mouths shut because of the sensitive subject.

While the trip to Xandar was primarily meant as a trip to aid others looking for friends and family, the rest of them had devoted a lot of time towards relaxing in the bustling city. Maybe it was because the rest of them were satisfied with where they were, so they could easily relax among the chaos. While they would all be together to catch a bite for dinner, everyone would be split their own ways by morning. Rocket would take Groot sightseeing, Drax would inaccurately educate Mantis on the cultural aspects of different species visiting Xandar, Thor would actually aid in some of the relief, and Quill was most likely asking around for Gamora.

And Nebula would find herself alone. She had lost Gamora, too, but that was years ago. Yet, she found herself grieving all over as she watched everyone else recover from the tragedy they were just now discovering. More than ever, she felt alone.

Part of what contributed to that was how foreign the retreat felt. Before the Guardians, she was the daughter of Thanos, constantly doing his bidding. Then, she was hunting Thanos, spending every breath trying to get close enough to end his life. Finally, she was recovering, looking for ways to undo his horrendous deed. To be on Xandar with no purpose only contributed to the lost feeling she felt.

The only other time she thought she felt like this was when she was floating through space with Stark. It hadn’t taken long for them to grow close. That is, it hadn’t taken him long to grow attached to her. She had a feeling that he didn’t trust easily, and this must have been a side effect of what seemed to be an inescapable death. He wished to die with a friend by his side. Nebula had only felt guilty that all he had was her.

With Stark, things slowed down. They were both the unfortunate survivors of a disaster they fought so hard to prevent, now wondering what they were supposed to do. How much he seemed to care, despite the grim situation, created a special place in her somewhat cold heart for him.

She hadn’t expected it to hurt so much when she saw his infamous mask plastered all across Xandar. Rocket had been the first to notice, pointing out how the guy was a hero across galaxies.

“He's bigger than you, Quill, and you’re half-planet!” Rocket chortled. Drax had laughed loudly at Rocket’s attempt to alleviate some of the dark feelings associated with Stark’s Iron Man mask. Quill gave a soft smile, not really knowing the man too well. Mantis had given one of her awkward chuckles. Thor gave a quick smile before it dropped. He walked off, claiming to need a drink. Nebula didn’t smile, but that was expected from her. She stared at the banner long after everyone else had walked away. She wasn’t as familiar with this face as much as the other, but it still pained her to see it.

He was everywhere she turned. The name Iron Man was on everyone’s lips, and his mask was on every building. Nebula wasn’t entirely sure how the man’s deeds had traveled across galaxies, but she was more than pleased that he would be remembered beyond his undeserved death.

The mask was plastered everywhere, but Nebula wouldn’t forget the man’s face. The face whose cheeks had started to sink in since they were without food, and whose eyes grew dark circles. The face was frozen in her mind, which is why it immediately drew her attention when she thought she saw a face that matched.

The man looked scraggly, but it could have just been that his clothes were cheap and too big for him. His hair wasn’t extremely long, but it was curled and messy, like it had been washed and unbrushed. He had stubble that was beginning to grow into a full out beard, complemented with gray in his hair and in his beard.

“Rocket…” Nebula breathed out. Rocket immediately stopped, concerned by the unusually emotional tone coming from Nebula.

“What?” He readied one of his guns without even being told the situation.

“Is that..?” She pointed at the man in question. Rocket squinted into the crowd until his eyes rested on who Nebula was pointing to. His grip weakened, and his eyes widened.

“It can’t be…”

“I get that you guys are, like, best friends now, but you could include us in on your gossip,” Quill quipped from a couple yards away. “What’re you looking at?”

“Tony Stark.”


	6. Do I Know You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony's pod is nearly complete. Jole is really going to miss him. The Guardians find their friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you've all been waiting for.

So far, Anthony had been having a good day. His pod only needed one specific part that he needed to get it up to the level he was hoping for, and he had found it in the first place he looked instead of the seventh like all the other parts. It was starting to look really good, painted a slick red with gold highlights. Jole had immediately pointed out how the color scheme matched that of the Iron Man.

“Admirer?” Jole teased, helping Anthony clean up the exterior. Anthony hummed.

“It’s a suit, I hear. Of course I’m impressed,” Anthony praised.

“You think you can ever make something like that, handyman?” Anthony’s mind was suddenly consumed by all the schematics that would be involved in making a suit that advanced. It was flashy yet intimidating just from the exterior. Anthony couldn’t imagine what was underneath all that gold.

“Who has the time?” Anthony chuckled.

“Now? Probably no one.”

That conversation resonated in his head as he walked back from town. He twiddled with the piece in his hand nervously, wondering how easy it was going to be to take off. He had been so worried about getting the pod up and running, he had barely been working on getting the maps and navigational stuff ready to make the trip. He was still working out how long the actual trip would be, how much food would be necessary, how long he could go without charging the pod to a main source.

His thoughts distracted him as he walked, and he had to apologize multiple times when he bumped soldiers. He dropped his piece at one point. Bending down to pick it up, he noticed someone staring at him from a distance. Anthony did his best not to stare or scrutinize certain people, especially since he seemed so ignorant to the different species not of Earth. However, he couldn’t take his gaze away from the inky black eyes that were glaring him down. Anthony felt a cold chill overtake him as he stood up. His eyes fell onto the weapon in her hand, and he started to walk in a different direction.

He stopped again when he saw—he had to do a double take—a human-like tree, growing by the second, with a raccoon sitting on its shoulder with an even bigger weapon. The raccoon had a sickly-sweet smile that was probably meant to threaten him, but Anthony was immediately more concerned by the tall tree that looked like it couldn’t care less. Realizing he was surrounded on both sides, Anthony made a dash to go in between them.

His heart was pounding, and he could feel his breath shortening even without jogging very far or very fast. He kept telling himself that all he needed to do was get to the shop. Why were these people chasing him? Did he forget he was a criminal? Did they find out about the serial number?

He was turning the jog into a sprint when he ran into what felt like a wall. He stumbled back when he was grabbed. He looked up and saw a heavily muscled figure with red lines decorating his skin. He looked more confused than anything.

“Are you sure this is the same tiny man from before?” He asked someone, not letting go of Anthony’s shoulders. Anthony let out a panicked yelped in fear as the pale blue eyes looked down at him. He flinched away and dodged under his arms, stumbling a bit before breaking out into a sprint. He threw a glance over his shoulder once he had run for a bit and was frightened to see how fast the blue girl with the inky eyes was. She seemed angrier than the others.

Jole was taking a break, sipping on a cold beverage with some of the boys. They had been more than impressed with Ant’s work on the pod. The pod itself had been a laughingstock when he first brought it in. It was big for a pod, and it most likely was part of a bigger ensemble. The rust and dents made them wary of whether it would ever be safe enough to leave the atmosphere, but now that was replaced with the strongest metal available on Xandar. Jole had managed to bargain with the seller as to the price before quoting Ant some numbers. He hadn’t told the other boys that he also had a hand in acquiring some of that metal. It wasn’t charity. He just wanted his hands on some of the goods for future projects.

Ant had blown them away when he revealed the newly painted pod. It looked like it was a newly released model. Hell, it looked like it wouldn’t be released for a few years at least. Seeing it only made Jole that much more upset that he wouldn’t have the man permanently in the shop. He started offering the man more when it got obvious that Ant had to leave soon. Ant had just given him one of those soft smiles that he gave to show no harm and told him to keep the money.

“Seriously? I could really use you here, Ant,” Jole was almost ready to beg.

“Keep the money, Jole.” Anthony paused for a second in thought. “Actually. Keep the 2500, too.” Jole did a quick turn to look at him.

“What?”

“I’ll buy that Gracium you have for the 2500 and the rest I have saved up.” That added up to about 7500. Jole gave him a dumbfounded look and looked at the cube of Gracium left over after Ant had finished his ship.

“Ant…It’s not worth anywhere near 7500,” Jole muttered.

“The extra is condolences for your loss,” Ant mumbled while messing around on his watch hologram.

“Loss?”

“Me!” Ant put on a sarcastic, award-winning smile. It wasn’t very often that Ant broke out of his quiet shell and made snarky comments, though he did seem comfortable when he did. Jole was willing to bet he made jokes like that all the time when he was comfortable enough, and he wished he could have brought that comfortable state out of him more in the several weeks he’s known him.

“I can’t take all that from you. You still gotta get home. Who knows what’s waiting for you there?” Ant gave him a reassuring smile and shrugged.

“Hopefully a wife and kids?” Jole smiled back.

“Hopefully.”

Jole wasn’t entirely convinced Ant had all that much going for him wherever he was going. He still hadn’t taken the time to get himself decent clothing. Jole had a hard time believing he wouldn’t have found someone or heard from someone by now. The other boys felt this as well. Since Ant was out getting the last item he needed, Jole loaded in the block of Gracium and sent the man 10,000 units. He told himself that he had been underpaying Ant anyways, and that this was the right thing to do. One of their wives threw together a cake that wasn’t half-bad, so they had it waiting for him whenever he came back.

While they were taking a break, Jole was not expecting to see the man running at a full sprint for the shop.

“Is that Ant running like the wind?” One of them muttered. Jole squinted, and he could make out the man’s slightly curled hair flying back as he ran at top speed, with a panicked look on his face.

“Holy shit, yeah,” Jole whispered, standing up in alarm. He squinted, trying to figure out what the man was running from. His eyes widened when he saw what looked like a tree with an animal on its shoulder running after Ant. Following them was a heavily muscled figure who looked way too excited and a murderous blue woman. “Who is that?”

Everyone seemed to stand up at once when they realized what was happening. A few of them called out to Ant, telling him to run faster. Everyone worked to close everything up, leaving a single door for Ant to run into. Ant crashed into Jole when entering the shop, and the others locked everything up.

“Ant, what’s going on?” Jole yelled as Ant got up and ran past him. He followed him into the garage where Ant was climbing into the pod with the piece he needed in hand. All of them suddenly jumped when there was banging on the garage door.

“Come out, you coward!” The woman yelled.

“What the hell does she want with you?” Jole screamed at Ant, helping him get the pod up and running.

“Hell if I know!” Ant yelled frantically. His eyes were wide as he hurriedly pulled the dashboard up and started working underneath it.

“Who are you, you imposter?” This voice was a male one. Ant started working faster, if that was possible.

“Tony Stark!” Anthony paused. Everything seemed to slow down as that name rang in his head over and over. He could still hear the footsteps of everyone frantically running around him. After a while he could hear Jole calling his name.

“Ant? Ant! Are you listening to me?” Anthony turned towards Jole, who looked as frantic as himself. “Who is that? Why are they calling Tony Stark?”

“I-I don’t know!” Anthony yelled back. He fixed the dashboard and started the pod off. He didn’t have time to take in the pod as the lines glowed bright blue. A few of them started gathering around when it became obvious that Anthony had to make a quick getaway.

“What can we do, Ant?” Jole’s voice rang out inside the pod. Anthony jumped up in surprise before looking out the windshield and seeing Jole waving a radio. Ant reached for the one he purposefully attached inside the ship and connected it.

“Nothing. I don’t know what they want, but it was about time for me to leave anyways, wasn’t it?”

“You’ve always got a place here, Ant,” Jole muttered through the radio. Ant sighed as he started checking oxygen levels and flipping switches. “Don’t forget my number.”

“Ditto,” Anthony whispered.

“Also, don’t waste that Gracium. It’s not a lot, but it can go far.” Anthony didn’t have time to pause, but he perked up. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled when he saw a familiar cube of the metal inconspicuously hidden in a crate.

“Glad you agreed on our deal.” Jole chuckled.

“It was a good one. How could I pass it up?” They all stepped back when they started to hear some whirring. “Hey, be safe, okay? I hope you find what you’re looking for. Come visit us, and all that jazz, especially if you need a job.”

“If all goes well, you’ll be handing me _your_ resumé,” Anthony snarked. He didn’t hear it, but he could see Jole laughing through the glass. “Open the doors on my mark, yeah?”

“Of course.” He could still hear his pursuers pounding on the doors. He heard one of them say he was going to blow them open, and he couldn’t let them do that to Jole’s place. He wasn’t ready but he gave the signal anyway.

“Now!” A bright light flooded in as the doors open. It must have taken them by surprised, because they stumbled back. Anthony took no time to get his pod moving. He flew back into his seat once it took off, not expecting the speed.

“Damn!” One of them said after the pod took off. They watched as the red and gold pod raced into the sky. “He was right. That little shit _is_ fast.”

 

“Holy shit!” Rocket yelled as he stumbled back. His eyes went wide as a pod sped out of the garage. Nebula screamed out when she saw a man in it. She ran inside, weapons up. A few of the workers yelled out and held their hands up.

“Who was that?” Nebula growled in a deep voice. One of them, a species that looked all too human except for the blue skin, stepped forward.

“Shouldn’t you know? You were the one chasing after him!”

“He is supposed to be dead.” The man started laughing. It irritated Nebula, so she put a sword to his throat.

“A lot of us are supposed to be dead, yet here we all are.” Nebula knew what he was referring to. She glared down at him.

“Hey, not that I’m not all for putting dickheads in their place, but is there a possibility that there’s been a misunderstanding?” Rocket muttered from the doorway he came in after searching the place.

“I know what I saw.”

“I’m not saying you didn’t see him, but maybe something else is going on. Maybe it was a Skrull.”

“A Skrull? How would a Skrull get on Xandar,” Nebula asked patronizingly. Rocket shrugged.

“Hey, everyone’s looking for someone, aren’t they?”

“Why would a Skrull impersonate Tony Stark, a human from Terra. Even better, why would they go through all the trouble to grow out his hair and disguise him?” Rocket mumbled something under his breath that Nebula wasn’t paying attention to.

“I don’t understand. Who is Tony Stark, and why are you guys trying to kill him?” The blue man asked.

“We’re not trying to kill Stark. We’re trying to kill whoever that is.”

“Who’s Tony Stark, your husband?” The man sneered. Nebula threw a glance at him, to which he responded by immediately flinching back.

“He’s the Iron Man, you imbeciles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JK, don't hate me.  
> So, no he didn't meet with them and become besties again... I promise the wait pays off! Soon, you'll get tired of Tony meeting people, maybe...  
> I posted this chapter as a treat in case of disappointment...  
> Up Next: Reunions between other people we know and love.


	7. Uncle Rhodey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is in space. Rhodey is sad but recovering.

James Rhodes had disappeared for a while after his best friend died. He showed up for the funeral, for which many people were happy to see he was well. He immediately went dark again, lurking alone in his home, neglecting to use the braces the late Tony Stark made for him.

Pepper called him a few times, and Rhodey would pick up and tell her that he was fine. He would immediately feel guilty when she mentioned Morgan missing her Uncle Rhodey. He would sit in the dark with the TV on, and Tony’s face was always on it. It almost felt like he was still here, with Rhodey having to turn on the TV to find out if he was okay since he wouldn’t pick up the phone.

He had been right by Pepper’s side when it was clear Tony wasn’t going to make it, but part of him felt like he had missed it, like he never truly got to say goodbye. The scene played in his head over and over as he watched the spider-kid plead Tony’s name and as Pepper told him to rest. It felt like somebody had ripped the rug out from underneath all of them. This wasn’t supposed to be Tony’s ending.

But no one else saw that. Everyone memorialized him and told themselves to move on before it hurt too much to do so, but Rhodey couldn’t. He couldn’t look past Tony’s sacrifice whenever he looked at Pepper’s sad smile or at Morgan’s big brown eyes. Everyone reassured Clint that he deserved to live, that he had a family to take care of. No one seemed to say the same about Tony.

Or maybe they did. Rhodey was too isolated to hear about anyone’s thoughts. He didn’t know how anyone was doing, and he didn’t really care. He knew he’d have to move on at some point, but what was the need to rush? Sam Wilson called him a few days ago, explaining how the Avengers initiative planned to proceed. Rhodey gave an noncommittal answer just to get off the phone quicker.

Wilson, from what Rhodey could tell, seemed to be doing well. He would end up finding out from Pepper what truly happened to Rogers. No one took the absence as Rogers as hard as he thought they would. That could be because they knew he got his happy ending. He saved the world and got the girl, the classic ending to a classic hero. Tony got five years of recovering and a self-sacrificing move that took his life, a tragic ending for a tragic hero.

Last Rhodey heard, James Barnes was in Wakanda. He was “herding some sheep, or some bullshit like that,” as Wilson amusingly put it. The man was starting over, which Rhodey could respect. He couldn’t even imagine what the man was going through, though it became clear quite a while ago that this Bucky wasn’t the same Bucky everyone knew from the 40s.

Everyone seemed to have their way of coping. Rhodey just had to sit and see when his way would come along.

* * *

 

It took Anthony a while to get his heart rate back to normal. He was pumping adrenaline for a while after he escaped, and he kept checking to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Along with that, he had to make sure he accurately set course for Terra or, at least, where Terra was supposed to be. No one made trips there very often, so getting an accurate map was a shot in the dark.

Anthony was surrounded by darkness, and it was _frightening_. He was completely alone in a tiny pod in the deep depths of space. He also kept hearing that name over and over in his head: Tony Stark. He felt like he had left behind an unopened book that might have held a lot of answers. It was too late now. He had bigger problems to work with.

The first problem was the seemingly perfect piece that Anthony managed to snag on his first try wasn’t so perfect. It was the wrong model, and Anthony wanted to smack himself for being so careless with how he picked it out. He was almost certain they probably had the right model next to it in the store that he had skimmed over. He had to stop his hands from shaking with anxiety as he stared at the wrong piece.

There was no danger of the pod suddenly breaking down in the middle of nothing, but now Anthony had no precise way of telling when he needed to recharge. He knew he had a couple days at least, but the trip would be at least a week long if he had to keep stopping to make sure that he wasn’t going to be stranded. He had a course set for Earth, and, once he calmed down, he was able to rest a bit.

Anthony’s mind went back to the blue lady who seemed to be the most out for his head on Xandar. He had never seen someone so angry. He was left wondering even more who Tony Stark was and what he must have done to her. If he was Tony Stark, what kind of life did he leave behind?

It was a strange feeling to not know who you are. It was an even stranger feeling to be scared that you might be—or might have been—a bad guy. Did he regret his choices while he still had his memory? Was he trying to escape from something? Is that why he was on a planet that was not his own? He could be killing himself by returning to Earth, and the thought put an inescapable sense of dread in his stomach. But he was not deterred. Though the thought of returning to Jole and the crew seemed appealing, he’d probably drive himself crazy by keeping himself from the truth.

* * *

 

Rhodey rolled up to the cottage around mid-morning. There was warm air blowing through his car window. He cut the engine with the window still rolled down. He wondered if Morgan heard the car door slam and peeked out the window to see who it was. Maybe they weren’t excited to see him. He felt the guilt rise up in him the closer he got to the front door.

They had the same idea that he had. Their front door was open with the screen door still closed to let the warm breeze sweep through the house. Rhodey paused. He didn’t see anybody in the sitting room. He raised a fist and knocked lightly. It was Morgan who came bouncing into view with a smile on her face. Rhodey’s face softened from the guilt-stricken one he had plastered on earlier and smiled.

“Uncle Rhodey!” Morgan squealed while skipping to open the screen door. Rhodey laughed and picked her up into a hug after she ran into his open arms.

“Wow, are you allowed to open the door?”

“I am when it’s Uncle Rhodey at the door,” she mumbled into his shoulder. Rhodey laughed and walked into the home still carrying her. He called out for Pepper and headed to the kitchen when she made her presence known. She was placing a couple of plates on the table when Rhodey came in.

“Hey, Jim,” she greeted with a pleasant smile when she saw him. Rhodey put Morgan down, who ran to sit down where one of the plates was. He shared a hug with Pepper who had a concerned look on her face. Rhodey felt even shittier. “Have a seat and a bite.” Rhodey looked over at the plate next to Morgan’s and saw an identical stack of pancakes.

“Little late for breakfast?” Rhodey weakly teased while taking a seat.

“We slept in.” Rhodey hummed and cut into his breakfast. She must have known he hadn’t eaten. She sat and sipped on a coffee while he and Morgan ate. “Are you okay, Rhodey?” Rhodey had finished eating and let out a sigh, glancing over at Morgan. She seemed to be in her own world as she happily munched down.

“I should be asking you that,” Rhodey muttered, running a hand tiredly over his face. She gave him a soft expression. “I’m actually glad Tony isn’t here right now, because he would be absolutely pissed at me if he knew about how I just up and disappeared.”

“Rhodey, please—”

“Especially when his own wife and children are going through the same struggle. I’m such a shitty—”

“Tony was a disaster,” Pepper interrupted with a smile. “I hardly believe he’d be pissed at you for grieving.”

“I shouldn’t have ignored everyone,” Rhodey mumbled.

“No one blames you.”

“I’m sorry,” Rhodey said looking her in the eye. “I can sit here all day complaining about how shitty I am, but the apology is all that matters.” Rhodey stared at her, waiting for her to say he doesn’t need to apologize. She stared back, probably recognizing the expression. She sighed and grabbed his and Morgan’s empty plates.

“Apology accepted. Just make sure you’re around more often. Morgan missed you.” Rhodey chuckled and looked over at the little girl who was running up the stairs.

“Of course.” Rhodey paused in thought for a moment. “How is everyone else doing?” Pepper glanced over at him from her position at the kitchen sink. She was frowning but not directly at him.

“Well, Rogers is officially out of the picture.”

“What?” Rhodey almost yelled, standing up abruptly. Pepper looked startled.

“I thought you knew.”

“What do you mean out of the picture?” Pepper dried off her hands and took a seat across from Rhodey at the table. Rhodey sat back down, looking stiff.

“Well, he ‘disappeared.’ That’s what I was told.”

“By who?” To Rhodey, it sounded all too suspicious. They finished the fight of their lives, mourned for a few days, then Rogers failed to return from his time travel mission.

“Bruce, but I have a feeling Wilson and Barnes know something.” Rhodey snorted. Of course they did.

“So Rogers is screwing with someone’s timeline?” Pepper gave a forced smile and raised an eyebrow.

“‘Someone’s?’ Take a guess.” Rhodey hadn’t had anyone in mind before, but now it was all too obvious what Rogers was doing.

“Peggy Carter?” Pepper hummed. Rhodey tried not to let the grief overtake him again as he thought about Rogers living out the rest of his life with Carter while Tony couldn’t even spend his with Pepper.

“I can tell by your face you’re getting frustrated. Rhodey, you don’t have to grieve by yourself.”

“He didn’t deserve this. You don’t deserve this.”

“Rogers has nothing to do with it. I can see your animosity building up.” Rhodey fell quiet, trying to swallow the lump that appeared in his throat. The only reason he visited was because he thought he had overcome these sudden urges to cry all the time. It was so unlike him, and that only reminded him why he was like this in the first place. “Barnes is back in Wakanda.”

“Yeah?” Rhodey muttered noncommittally. Pepper chuckled. “Sam told me. I thought it was some bullshit so we wouldn’t worry about him.”

“He’s quite accustomed to it. Thor is other worldly again. I have no idea where Maximoff is.”

“I don’t really care,” Rhodey chuckled. Pepper laughed with him until they both fell silent.

“You should call some of them, let them know you’re okay. Just say hi.” Rhodey made an uncommitted noise. “You should really call Happy.” Rhodey flinched.

“Yeah, I know.” Pepper smiled and put a hand on his shoulder as she stood up.

“I’ve been soft this entire time because you’re going through a hard time like the rest of us are. Mark my words, Rhodey. If I have to deal with another Tony Stark, who needs me as his PA to survive life, you’ll be kicked back to space.” Rhodey chuckled.

“Someone’s gotta keep my ass in order.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Tony is on a planet and gets himself stuck in a situation strangely familiar... The Guardians regroup.


	8. Captivity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's calculations may have been a little bit wrong. Thor starts to get a clue as to what's going on. Tony finds himself in a situation strangely familiar.

As it turns out, Anthony was very wrong in his estimation of how much energy he had left before he had to make a stop. He figured it out when one of the symbols of the dashboard started blinking an alarming red, and Anthony couldn’t figure out how to stop it. To be fair, almost everything was in a foreign language, and he had figured out what it meant pretty quickly and set a course for the nearest habitable planet.

He felt anxiety as he grew closer to the planet. More than ever he wished he had somebody by his side, even a voice to tell him if he was doing the right thing, the safe thing. The atmosphere also scared him. Though he could tell from the pod’s reading that the air was similar to that of Earth—nitrogen and oxygen level wise—he didn’t have anyone to reassure him that it wasn’t toxic.

_He should have made a mask of sorts_ , Anthony realized too late. He didn’t have the forging tools at hand, and the only way to survive was to leave the ship and at least get it charged. Anthony tried to reassure himself of this as he entered the atmosphere. His hands were shaking as he controlled different features of the dashboard, but there were still no harmful toxins in the air. The air turned out to be the least of his problems as his main screen lit up on the dashboard, indicating an incoming object.

“Shit!” Anthony shouted in alarm, clutching his seat and bracing for impact. He didn’t know what hit him, but it easily set his spherical pod into a spin closer towards the planet. He was flung every which way as he desperately gripped the driver’s seat. So _this_ was why seatbelts were necessary.

The spinning in addition to all the alarms going off distracted Anthony for only a few moments until he was reminded that, unless he got this under control, he was going to crash _hard_. He didn’t see any large bodies of water nearby, and he doubted he’d be able to find one now. He grunted as he pulled himself into his seat and strapped the seatbelt on. He tried to concentrate as his vision seemed to spin and wiggle in front of him. He grabbed the pod’s handles and didn’t know what else to do except pull up.

The spinning slowly came to a stop until Anthony was just steering himself in a large circle. Alarms were still going off, but now Anthony could see what was going on. He was very close to the ground, probably only a couple thousand feet up. One alarm alerted him of a sizable amount of damage done to one side of the ship, presumably the side hit. Another alerted him of incoming objects. Anthony let out another curse and steered as best he could with what he could see. The windshield was cracked, and that was _definitely_ not suitable to leave the atmosphere.

Anthony turned on stealth mode, something he had created and implemented with Earth in mind. It hid his presence on radars, or it was supposed to. He couldn’t exactly hide from projectiles that were headed straight for him. He headed towards the ground. His landing was less than graceful. He let out a groan and didn’t want to move from his position over the dashboard. He winced and held his head as he stood up and yanked the manual release hatch for the door.

The door hissed open, and Anthony tumbled out onto dirt. He looked up to see he was, essentially, in the middle of nowhere. He coughed at the dust that he may have swallowed due to the dirt consuming the air after his landing. He paid immediate attention to his watch. He let out a breath of relief when he saw it undamaged. Just one silver lining in the whole mess he had just gotten himself into.

Anthony stood up, looked at the bright red and gold pod and muttered under his breath.

“Shit.”

* * *

 

“You saw Stark?” Quill repeated. He had that stupid look on his face that made Nebula wonder how the hell she got stuck with these idiots again.

“We saw Stark, _again_. I saw him earlier,” Nebula muttered. Rocket and Groot wisely stayed clear of her path as she angrily slammed her weapon down. Thor, however, was unwavering in his stance.

“You saw him earlier?” He repeated.

“Scraggly man looking down at his watch. Unmistakably him.”

“You’re sure it was Stark?” Thor’s voice was deep and dark, but he wasn’t talking to someone easily intimidated.

“Who else would it be?”

“Who else would it be? Literally anyone since the man is supposed to be dead on _Terra_ ,” Quill pointed out. Nebula ignored him, and Thor looked like he was deep in thought. “Jesus, what?”

“What if it is Tony?” Thor muttered.

“How? Do you guys ever die?” Rocket all but yelled from where he resided. Groot muttered from beside him but Rocket just waved him off.

“Yes. We attended a funeral for one of the Terrans, Rocket,” Drax commented smartly from the back. No one besides Quill spared him a glance.

“The infinity stones,” Thor breathed. Nebula glanced at him for only a second. Quill and Rocket simultaneously groaned.

“You mean the things that were destroyed before being brought back and destroyed again?” Rocket mumbled under his breath.

“They weren’t destroyed. They were returned,” Thor corrected.

“They were put in the past, which would be used in the future. Therefore, destroyed.”

“Aye, but time doesn’t run linearly,” Thor whispered. They stared at him, waiting for him to finish thinking. “Perhaps something happened when Tony snapped his fingers.” That put an uneasy feeling in all of their stomachs.

“Like brought him back from the dead?” Quill scoffed. “Wouldn’t that mean that Thanos could also be back?”

“I killed Thanos, not the stones,” Thor chuckled darkly. “And Bruce didn’t die at all.” They all went silent for a few minutes. Although Mantis wasn’t touching anyone, she could sense the anxiety flooding the room.

“So, we’ve got to find this dude?” Rocket inquired.

“Definitely.”

* * *

 

Anthony had to walk a few miles before reaching any sort of civilization. The village he started walking up to was very rural. He could only make out huts and tents that most likely made up a market of sorts. The people were green and looked reptilian, not a species Anthony could remember seeing before. Upon seeing him, they were immediately hostile.

“Oh, shit,” Anthony muttered defeatedly, wondering how this day could get any worse. He held his hands up in surrender as they charged towards him with their weapons up. He thought his defenseless nature would soften the blow, but he was immediately tackled to the ground. He put up no struggle as he was handcuffed and dragged.

He was taken to a hut surrounded by what looked like guards. They all gave him malicious glances as he was dragged in. He was sat in a chair in front of one the many males.

“Greetings, traveler,” he greeted sarcastically with a smile. Anthony snorted. “What brings you here?”

“That’s awfully hospitable of you to ask after shooting me out of the air and dragging me into a tent,” Anthony remarked thoughtfully. He smiled back at him.

“We’re protective of our own. Answer the question, please.” Anthony really had nothing to hide.

“I needed to recharge my pod before I got stranded,” Anthony answered truthfully. A few in the room snorted.

“Pod? You expect us to believe you just innocently showed up in a pod? Where’s your ship?” He walked up to Anthony, getting closer to his face. Anthony leaned back as far as he could with his restraints.

“It’s just me,” Anthony whispered. “I just need to charge, so I can leave. Well—” Anthony gulped and chuckled nervously, “I also have to fix the damage you guys did now.” They didn’t look convinced. “My name’s Ant, by the way. Could I get a name? You know, since I’ve never met anyone like you guys before…” Anthony couldn’t tell how ignorant he sounded, but he hoped he hadn’t offended anyone.

“I want you to tell your crew you’re talking to Elm,” he answered. He yanked Anthony out of his head and shoved him forward. “Show us where your ‘pod’ is.”

Anthony was exhausted. Having walked miles just to get to civilization, he now had to walk the same amount back just to avoid being killed. They followed diligently, surrounding him on all sides. When the pod came into view, it was hard to miss. A few of them pointed out the bright red and gold pod right away.

They made him open the pod and go inside to make sure it wasn’t a trap. He immediately went for water, ignoring the shouts of the guards. He splashed some of the cool water on his face to cool off from the heat. They were pretty close to two stars. It seemed like it was constantly hot here. A few of the guards entered and looked around the cramped pod. One of them came upon the Gracium Anthony had stored and pointed it out.

“What’s this, Anthony?” Elm asked with a chuckle, his eyes eyeing the cube.

“Gracium. It was a gift.”

“Who gifted you one of the most valuable pieces of metal on this side of the galaxy?” Anthony laughed nervously.

“It’s not from this galaxy so…Also not that valuable. I got it for a deal.” One of the guards shoved Anthony, annoyed by his carefree attitude.

“So, you’re a smuggler?” Elm noted. Anthony opened his mouth to retaliate, but it didn’t seem like Elm was paying attention to him anyway. He was entranced by the metal cube. “We’re going to have to take it off your hands. Wouldn’t want you to get in trouble when you leave here.” The way he said “leave here” wasn’t very convincing.

“Right…”

“And this pod of yours?” Elm said, patting the side. “Gracium alloy?”

“Er…” Anthony muttered. “No?” Elm grinned.

“And the ship of yours?”

“There’s no ship,” Anthony pleaded.

“Take him back to the village. Try to see if you can get a connection to the main ship via the pod. Give it a few days before letting us now. I’ll give the go ahead to strip it down.” Anthony groaned as they hit him over the head, causing him to black out.

 

They kept him in a cave of sorts. It was dark and damp. It was uncomfortably familiar, and it gave him shortness of breath as he tried to calm himself down. He tried to formulate any sort of plan, but he had no idea who he could reach out to fix this. His mind flickered to Dalia, but he had no idea where she was. He thought about Jole, but he was just a mechanic. It wasn’t like he could contact him from inside the cave anyway.

It had been maybe a day before Anthony got too antsy. He was terrified they’d take apart the pod he had worked weeks on. When a guard brought him another cup of water, he spoke out.

“Hey! Get me Elm, please!” He hardly spared Anthony a glance before he started to walk out. “Please! Tell him I’ll tell him where the ship is.” They gave no indication that they were listening to Anthony, but it only took a few moments before he was walking back in with Elm.

“It’s funny you’re offering this up now, because,” Elm laughed and held his hands out. “My guys found no connection to a ship.”

“Oh, wow, it’s almost like I told you that from the beginning,” Anthony snarked.

“Then what can you offer me?”

“You’re protective of your…tribe?” Elm didn’t look amused. “I get it. You shot me down because no one is supposed to be here. No one is even supposed to know you exist.”

“Sure. That’s why it’d be easy to kill you and call it a day,” Elm shrugged casually.

“I can help protect you,” Anthony pleaded.

“We have your Gracium. We can design weapons and protect ourselves,” Elm reasoned. Anthony snorted, hoping it was casual and covered his fear.

“You don’t need Gracium. You need energy, energy to use for weapons. I can make that and the weapons. I’m pretty good at it.” Elm laughed.

“You? You’ll make us weapons?”

“Give me a trial run. I’ll prove it to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: Thor talks to Sam Wilson, Tony creates something and meets their "leader," and Strange is clued in about Tony.


	9. We Saw Stark

Sam Wilson had stressful a week. He didn’t remember Steve’s workload being this heavy when he was captain, but then again Steve always had Stark taking a portion of the workload. That, and Steve didn’t have to deal with the aftermath of the universe’s biggest battle yet.

Along with helping with aid and relief, Wilson was also working desperately hard to make sure there was a team to assemble should another disaster occur. The seams were still weak, and he was terrified something might go terribly wrong under his watch.

It wasn’t all bad. The world seemed to have a newfound respect for the Avengers and their new leader. Steve had left being an undoubtedly good recommendation for him, and he had Stark Industries’ approval. Wilson couldn’t deny he felt like the next Obama. People were looking for his opinion more than the president’s.

He couldn’t help feeling a bit lost. He had big shoes to fill with Steve gone. Barnes was in Wakanda, and Wilson couldn’t blame him. He wanted nothing more than to lie out under the sun in the Bahamas for a couple weeks. Natasha was gone, and Wilson knew how much weight she took off Steve’s shoulders when she still was still around. Barton and Lang were back with their families. Wilson had to remain strong.

He felt like crying when he got a call from Rhodey saying he would be there whenever Wilson needed him. He hadn’t heard from the man in weeks. He hadn’t sounded too good the last time Wilson had spoken to him.

Wilson had a stressful week but a decent one, until he got a call from Thor. His voice was the only thing that rang out in the empty room. Wilson heard something about some planet named Xandar, the Iron Man, and Tony Stark. Wilson sighed, because he knew everyone was taking the loss hard.

“Thor, what exactly are you talking about?”

“We saw Stark.”

“We? Who’s ‘we?’” Wilson barked into the phone. “Are you kidding me? I have enough shit going on here. I really don’t need you to start having a breakdown on me.”

“My team saw Stark. We chased him down, but he escaped. I’m afraid we might not be the only ones tracking him down. The Iron Man is everywhere.”

“The Iron Man is everywhere,” Wilson repeated dumbly.

“The mask. Pictures of the mask are plastered everywhere. There’s multiple banners hanging in this city on Xandar.”

“So you’re telling me Stark is some sort of intergalactic hero?”

“I’m telling you I don’t think Tony is dead.” Wilson took the phone away from his ear for a second. He had to take a few deep breaths and make sure he wasn’t hallucinating the entire conversation with Thor.

“Don’t mess with me Thor. Why would Tony even be off Earth?”

“We’re trying to track him down. I’m just telling you, because I thought you’d like to know something this important,” Thor replied snidely. Wilson huffed. “Maybe tell Strange.” Wilson wanted to make some sassy comment about Thor telling the man himself, but he was supposed to be a leader. He was supposed to know everything that was happening.

“Alright.”

“Maybe don’t tell his wife or Rhodes.”

“What?” Wilson barked through the phone. “Are you kidding? This concerns them more than anyone else!”

“I’m aware. Wilson, I have very little doubt that this isn’t Stark. I’ve got reputable sources, but…They don’t need any more hardships should something go awry.”

“Are you going to kill the man?” Wilson breathed in disbelief.

“Someone else might if we don’t find him soon.” Thor sighed like he was frustrated. “I have to go. Tell Strange.” The call was ended, and Wilson was left dumbfounded. He grumbled to himself for a few seconds before going to make another call.

* * *

 

Anthony didn’t know exactly what he was doing. His hands seemed to work on his own. The people he was working with—they had introduced themselves as _skrulls_ —provided him with anything he needed. It took hours with their diligent work until he created a fusion reactor like nothing he had seen before, except that was wrong. He had to have seen it before to make it. He just couldn’t remember where.

“Amazing,” Elm commented from his corner of the room. “What does it do?”

“It’ll be a power source of sorts,” Anthony muttered, admiring his work.

“I thought this was your trial to make a weapon?” Elm recalled, though he didn’t sound like he was threatening him.

“I just made this from scratch with nothing but my brains. You could gain _some_ trust in me.” Anthony turned around in his chair. “So, these weapons…”

“The deal for your life,” Elm reminded him with a smile. Anthony laughed at how casual the skrull seemed despite the threat he made to his life.

“Right. Here’s my thing. I’m not all too comfortable with giving you weapons that will help you commit genocide. After all, you did shoot me and my pod down pretty easily. What do you really need?”

“Shooting your pod down is a lot simpler than stopping invasion.” The word ‘invasion’ triggered something in Anthony, but, like usual, he couldn’t put a finger on what.

“These weapons are purely defensive.”

“Why don’t we decide what we want to use them for, Ant?” The threatening tone leaked back into Elm’s voice.

“How much do you need? I really am trying to get home,” Anthony asked softly. Elm stared at him for a few moments.

“Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll put you on another trial. Once we see what you can do with actual weapons, we’ll give you the materials to help you fix your pod and leave. We’ll eliminate the coordinates that got you here and send you on your way.” Anthony shrugged.

“Fair enough, except, I need to work on my ship right now.” Elm laughed, but Anthony didn’t budge. “Trust runs both ways, Elm.”

“We don’t need to trust you. You need to hope with every fiber of your being that we don’t put you down the second you become an inconvenience.”

“You’ve seen what I can do. Are you really willing to take that risk when it could cost you immunity for you and your community, your family?” Anthony hoped he hit some heartstrings with that last one, but Elm had a very good poker face. Elm scrutinized him once more, taking in Anthony’s dirty, haggard appearance.

“Fine. Remember, at any time there’s probably a gun aimed at your head, Ant.”

 

The damage to his pod looked worse than it actually was, which he told Elm himself. He was able to fix it up pretty quickly. He immediately started working on something for the skrulls, something that would project the energy created from the reactor. He worked slowly, constantly trying to think of ways to get out of this situation without finishing what he had started.

Anthony was there for about a week. They naturally attributed weakness with humans and used that to explain why he worked so slowly. They fed him about two meals a day, and Anthony used that to explain why he was so slow. They didn’t change anything about his schedule because of that.

Anthony worked on different things while he was in the shop they provided for him. It was very reminiscent of Jole’s on Xandar, and Anthony felt a tug on his heart at the thought. He found a pair of large glasses that were supposed to be worn at protection. While waiting for materials one slow day, Anthony took the cheap plastic out of the frames and replaced it with a custom-made glass, tinted red. The hardest part was working with the framing. It was thick but cheap. He reinforced it with an alloy similar to that his watch was made of. He was given access to a cheap device that resembled a computer in some ways but not others. The coding wasn’t difficult anyway. The materials weren’t delivered until the end of the day. By then Anthony had created a pair of glasses that helped him decode some of the many languages he came across. Elm had taken in the strange red glasses on Anthony’s face, and Anthony had reassured him that they were for eye protection.

Anthony was taking a break outside at one point when he saw a ship in the sky. He had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. There was a ship in the planet’s atmosphere. Anthony waited for the people around him to panic or for it to be blown out of the sky, but neither happened. Anthony just had to watch as the ship gradually descended not too far from the village he resided in.

“Who’s that?” Anthony asked Elm, who was walking past him to go greet whoever was in the ship.

“Our leader,” Elm answered.

“I thought that was you?” Elm ignored him. Anthony quickened his pace, so he was walking beside Elm towards the ship. By the time they got to the vessel, someone was walking out. It was a female, human from what Anthony could tell. She was blond and wearing a red, blue, and gold suit. She immediately made eye contact with Anthony.

“Stark.”

* * *

 

Strange was sipping tea when Wilson called giving him the news about Stark. The call was short, as Strange casually accepted the news and ended the conversation. Strange had been waiting to hear something about Stark for a while. Hearing he wasn’t on Earth was the surprising part of that conversation.

Thor hadn’t given Wilson much information, but Strange was sure he probably had the same idea as him: the infinity stones. Wielding them created an immense amount of power. They would be fools to claim they knew everything there was to know about the mystical stones. Up until a few months ago, everyone was convinced time travel was a fictional topic. Strange had probably seen more than the entire Avengers team put together. He had a wide imagination.

Strange was sure it had something to do with the Soul Stone. Out of all of them, it was the only one protected by some sort of higher force. It was protected by something as intangible as _love_ , the _soul._ Strange wanted to study what truly happened on Volmir, but he knew that was probably unwise. Why mess with anything even remotely related to the stones when they had just fixed everything?

Strange thought it’d be wise to call Banner and find out how his recovery was going once again. While Banner hadn’t died, he had also been exposed to that energy. So had Thanos. There were too many unanswered questions. The only way to even begin to answer them was if they could find Stark.

For a moment, Strange wondered if they had told his wife. He wondered if the spider kid knew what was going on. Considering how difficult their grieving process seemed to have been going, Strange heavily doubted they had been clued into what was going on. He wasn’t sentimental, but he was ethical. Now he had to wonder whether it would ever be wise to expose Stark to anyone. Was this the real Tony Stark they were dealing with? How could they be sure?

With all these questions, Strange made no move to get up. He took another sip of his tea and continued to ponder. Hopefully Thor found the man soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: We check back in with our favorite spider boy. Also, Tony gets some answers.


	10. It's Tony, Actually

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pilates and Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you've actually been waiting for. Also earlier than usual because I wasn't sure I'd be able to post it later.

Peter was having another one of those days. He woke up surprised, like he was surprised to be alive again. Aunt May was probably home asleep after her night shift. Peter wondered if she would notice if he just didn’t get up and laid in bed all day. He considered it for a good couple of minutes before checking his phone. He got up pretty early, so he was surprised to see he already had a text from Happy: “I’m picking you up after school. Don’t be late.” Short and straight to the point.

Peter groaned as he shuffled himself off the bed. He flinched at the brightness his lamp provided him and shut his eyes to try to get used to the light through his eyelids. He could feel his eyes watering, and he knew they were burning for another reason.

Aunt May said there would be times like this, where he might be alright for weeks and suddenly wonder what was wrong with the world. He would miss that person who wasn’t filling a specific spot in his life. It was a Friday, so he felt that void more than ever today. Peter splashed his face with water and lazily brushed his teeth, not finding the motivation or energy for a shower. He tugged on the first t-shirt he could find and a pair of jeans he had probably already worn that week. He grabbed a granola on the way out of the door, knowing he probably wouldn’t eat it.

Most of the time, when these episodes happened, Peter would just think about what was gone: The Stark Internship he liked to tell everyone about, the insincere eyerolls Tony would give him when he made a bad pun, the hair ruffles he would casually do when Peter did something right…

Today he couldn’t get the battle out of his head. He remembered the flush of adrenaline he had throughout, and how he had realized how easily he could die at any moment. At the same time, he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by all the heroes that surrounded him. Peter thought he might have actually died when Captain Danvers took the gauntlet and got help from all of the other women in the field. It was all surreal, and it was even amazing. It was all overshadowed by how the battle ended.

Peter could hear his own voice constantly calling out to Tony. When he fell asleep at night, he had to put on music to drown it out. He had to pinch his eyes shut and think of something else. Ned, MJ, anything else. Anything except the way Tony barely seemed to look at him. He constantly wondered if Tony knew Peter was there in those last few moments. How badly was he suffering in the end? Was there a way they could have saved him?

He tried to forget the last question the most. When he got too far into his own thoughts, he would think of all the ways they could’ve saved Tony’s life. He would get angry at everyone, including himself. He wished he had been around to take the damn gauntlet and snap his own fingers. He had faster healing. He would have a better chance of survival, right?

“Hey, weirdo,” a voice called him out of his thoughts. He looked up into the concerned eyes of MJ. The rest of her face gave no indication that she was worried, but Peter had gotten better at reading her once they hung around more. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Peter breathed. “Of course.”

“Really, ‘cause it seems like you might collapse in the middle of the hallway,” Ned commented from the other side of Peter. MJ gave Ned an unamused look. “But in a good way.”

“Just tired,” Peter muttered, gripping his books tighter. MJ raised an eyebrow at him.

“Babysit Morgan again?”

“No, nothing like that…” Peter sighed. “It’s just another one of those days, you know?” MJ didn’t say anything. Peter knew she wasn’t exactly good at expressing herself, but she always understood. Peter tried not to react when she slightly brushed her shoulder against his. They walked slowly and quietly for a bit until Ned broke so silence.

“So…” He started awkwardly. “You guys hear about Spiderman? I hear he’s making a big comeback?” Peter snorted, earning a smile from MJ and Ned alike.

“Yeah? Where’d you hear that?” Peter played along.

“Everywhere, dude! It was trending on Twitter yesterday. You should see all the posts about his butt.” Peter’s head turned sharply towards Ned.

“About his _what_?” Peter whispered loudly. MJ chuckled and had her phone in his field of vision in seconds.

“About his ass. Someone got a good photo and posted it.” Peter looked at the photo on MJ’s phone that had outstanding quality. _Stupid iPhones_ , Peter cursed in his head. It was definitely him standing in front of somebody. Peter thought it was when he was returning a lost dog. “It’s a good one.” Peter went red probably all the way to his chest.

“What?” MJ laughed at him but didn’t say anything. Ned gave him a wide-eyed look and mouthed something that Peter couldn’t understand behind her back.

“Look at some of the comments,” Ned giggled, scrolling down a bit. Peter shoved the phone away after seeing an array of thirst tweets and emojis.

“What do you think his secret is?” MJ asked sarcastically, still scrolling on her phone.

“Pilates,” Ned muttered. Peter let out a groan.

* * *

 

“Last time I checked, there weren’t any humans here,” the blond woman started talking to Elm. Elm chuckled and shrugged innocently.

“I know, right? What’s he doing here?” The blond woman narrowed her eyes with a smile on her face. She shook his hand as she came over to Anthony, who stepped back a bit.

“I’m more concerned with which human you obtained.”

“Why’s that?”

“You guy’s got your hands on the Iron Man of all people.” The blond woman gave Anthony a friendly smile and held out her hand. “I’m Carol.” Anthony cautiously stuck his out and shook.

“Ant.” Carol raised her eyebrows.

“Ant? Like the insect?” Anthony frowned. He had been expecting that question for a while, almost every time he gave his name out. He eventually concluded ants must be an Earth thing, which was weird no matter how small they were. He was immediately intrigued by who this Carol was. “Is it because you’re so short?”

“Hey!” Anthony protested. Elm was laughing from a couple yards away.

“Who is this ‘Iron Man’ you speak of?” Elm asked Carol. She started walking and gestured for both of them to follow.

“Don’t you know? He’s the savior of the universe, along with a few others, but the universe doesn’t know that.” Anthony looked at her, wondering if they were still talking about him. “Including me, by the way.”

“Oh, I see. This is some long, drawn-out excuse for why you have been gone for so long.” Carol laughed.

“Please. I don’t owe you any explanation for my whereabouts, so why would I give you an excuse?” Elm narrowed his eyes at her non-threateningly.

“Because you’re a decent person?” He suggested, rolling his eyes. Carol ignored him, looking back at Anthony.

“You don’t remember anything, do you?” Carol asked. Anthony’s eyes went wide, and he sputtered for a bit trying to think of what to say. “Your full name’s Anthony, so I recently found out. I see where you got the ‘Ant’ from. Clever, but people usually call you Tony.”

The same sounded familiar. It did every time someone said it. In his mind, he had considered using it before he settled for Ant. Maybe because he knew Ant wasn’t really him, and Tony was, but he didn’t really know who Tony was.

“You know who I am?” Anthony asked. Carol nodded.

“Everyone knows who you are now. Well, they know who the Iron Man is, but that’s who you are anyway.” Anthony stopped and pointed a finger at himself.

“You’re telling me that I’m the Iron Man.” Carol nodded. Anthony scoffed. “The one who brought back half the universe, that Iron Man?” Carol nodded. “Bullshit.”

“How would you know, genius? You can’t remember anything,” Carol teased. Anthony narrowed his eyes at her, but he couldn’t find it in him to be upset with her.

“Why were people trying to kill me earlier?” Carol looked like she was thinking for a few moments before answered.

“Who? What did they look like?” She asked curiously. Anthony laughed without amusement.

“Crazy. There was a goddamn raccoon with a gun, a giant ass tree, a body builder, and this insane chick with demon eyes,” Tony exasperated.

“Those are the Guardians, most of them. I doubt they were trying to kill you.”

“They were running full force at me with their weapons drawn,” Tony deadpanned. Carol smiled like she was remembering something.

“Did you provoke them?”

“Of course not!”

“They were probably just trying to prevent you from escaping. Maybe kill you, but that’s just a maybe.”

“Why!” Carol hesitated for a moment. This instilled a sense of dread in Anthony, since Carol had portrayed nothing but a confident personality this entire time. Seeing her unsure made him even more unsure.

“Tony Stark died.” Elm perked up at that one. He had been silently following along the conversation. They were all stopped and formed a small circle. Anthony was clearly dumbfounded and looked both of them in the eyes for answers. “When he brought back half the universe, he died. Now you’ve showed up with no memory. We’re trying to connect the dots just as much as you, Tony.”

“Dead,” Anthony whispered.

“From what I could tell, the blue one, Nebula, was quite close to you. I would imagine she’d be pretty upset if she saw someone impersonating a person she recently lost, since it’s been a hard and long grieving process.”

“Hard and long, why?” Anthony, Tony, asked. Carol placed a delicate hand on his shoulder.

“You’re an important person. Not just to everyone in the world now, but to a very close-knit group of people.”

“I’ve got people waiting for me?” Tony breathed out in disbelief. Carol nodded, and Tony thought he might break down in tears. He sniffled a few times, and Carol waited until he composed himself a bit.

“What exactly are you doing with the skrulls?” Carol said this to Tony, but she glanced over at Elm while she was at it. Elm chuckled nervously.

“I needed to recharge my pod,” Tony explained. “And fix it. They shot me out of the sky.” Carol nodded.

“Yeah, they do that.” She turned towards Elm. “He’s no longer your prisoner.” Elm groaned.

“He promised us some valuables, Carol. At least let us keep him for those.”

“Valuables?”

“Weapons. You know, for protection,” Elm explained delicately. Carol narrowed her eyes.

“Tell you what: I’ll take him, you keep what you have, and I’ll think about not destroying whatever he already made for you.” Elm groaned but didn’t look like he was going to put up a fight. “He doesn’t make weapons anymore.”

“It’s a shame. He’s a goddamn genius at it,” Elm grumbled to himself. Tony showed Carol to his pod and she immediately laughed. When he asked why, she pointed out the color scheme. Tony quickly made the connection.

“I guess the colors are just in your bones,” Carol commented with a smile.

“Or maybe I knew subconsciously.” Carol looked over at Tony, who didn’t find the ordeal as amusing as she did.

“Do you remember _anything_?”

“I remember that my name is Anthony, except not really since everyone calls me Tony,” Tony muttered pathetically. Carol patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ll get there. Earth’s got some good people waiting for you. Plus you’ve got your own tech.” Tony didn’t know what she was talking about, but he nodded anyway. “Where’d you get this?”

“Xandar, the same place the Guardians hunted me down at. I bought it as a piece of shit and fixed it up.” Carol nodded impressively. She started tapping on a watch similar to his own. “What are you doing?”

“It just occurred to me that it might be wise to clue them in on what’s going on.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks for not trying to kill me, by the way. It makes finding out what’s going on with me a lot easier.” Carol laughed.

“I’ll give them tips the next time I see them.”

“What happens next?” Tony asked quietly.

“I give the coordinates to the Guardians to meet us here—” Elm immediately started to protest, but Carol gave him a dark look and shook her head. He quieted down and sulked. “They’re _not_ going to shoot them down. We’ll plan accordingly from there.” Tony nodded.

“Why not, just, go straight to Earth?”

“One, we’ll be received a lot better if we’re on a familiar vessel, not that your choice color scheme wouldn’t get their attention. I’m sure you’d rather not be shot out of the sky again, though.” Tony nodded. “Two, they’re probably closer to us than Earth is. It wouldn’t be fair to them if we kept running away while they were looking for you. They’re waiting for you just as much as the people on Earth. Three, I’m not entirely sure what we’re dealing with, and I’d like a team with us when we move forward.”

“All valid points,” Tony muttered sheepishly. Carol smiled softly.

“Let’s get some rest. They’ll probably be here tomorrow. In the meantime, you can show me what you’ve been working on.”

“No problem. Is it possible I can get my Gracium back?”

“Gracium?” Carol turned towards Elm who was laughing sheepishly. “Dammit Elm, you know you’re not supposed to have that.”

“Technically, and I’m being real here, neither is he,” Elm said while shrugging and waving his arms toward Tony. Carol rolled her eyes.

“Give the man his Gracium back.”

“Wow, it’s great to have you back, Carol.”


	11. Who's Waiting For Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finds out more about himself. Tony, Carol, and the Guardians finally meet up.

“Danvers has Stark,” Quill whispered to himself, reading the message. He read it again, making sure he hadn’t misread it. He turned to tell somebody and jumped when he saw Nebula had been reading over his shoulder. Her face was unreadable, as per usual. He gave her a sheepish smile, waiting for her to react. All she did was turn around, heading for the command center. “What are you doing?”

“Inputting the coordinates,” she snarled at him.

“Woah, what if it’s a trap?” Nebula glared at him.

“Then we need to go anyway to find out how someone could possibly know exactly who we’re looking for when they’re supposed to be dead.” Quill chuckled awkwardly and coughed.

“Okay, fair enough.” He was trying to make sense of the entire situation, still in disbelief that Stark was alive. If that was true, it would make Thor’s theory about the infinity stones more likely to be true. Quill wasn’t ready for that to be true. Nebula was working fast to get them ready to head to the coordinates when Thor walked in.

“What’s happening?” Quill opened his mouth to respond, but Nebula beat him to it.

“We found Stark.” Thor’s face was solemn, almost as serious as he had been in the battle.

“Technically, Danvers found Stark,” Quill corrected. Thor perked up at this.

“Carol has a hold of Stark?” Thor inquired.

“As best as we can tell,” Quill responded with a sigh.

“And we’re headed there immediately?” Quill was once again beat to the punchline by Nebula.

“Immediately,” she confirmed. Quill had never seen her like that. Since she and Gamora had settled things, Nebula had been relatively passive. When they weren’t facing threats, she was often isolated in the background. It only left Quill wondering even more if something was being kept from him about the five years. Thor was helping Nebula prepare when the rest of the team walked in.

“Getting crowded in here, guys,” Quill muttered when he knew no one was listening to him.

“Oh, so we found the asshole?” Rocket said gleefully. He said it without any malice. If anything, there was a certain fondness in his voice.

“How did the two biggest assholes of our team suddenly grow hard-ons for this dude? Is he some sort of fairy-godfather or something?” Quill asked with no one listening to him.

“How long until we reach the coordinates?” Thor asked Nebula.

“About a day if we get started now.”

“No time to waste.”

* * *

 

“These are pretty cool,” Carol commented, looking through his refurbished glasses. She kept looking at different pieces of text to see them translate. Tony watched with an amused smile as she did so, walking around the room.

“I know I’m not supposed to ask a woman’s age, but aren’t you a lot older than you look? I’m sure you’ve come across better things,” Tony said.

“Oh, no doubt,” Carol replied, taking the glasses off and giving them back. “But I’m impressed by what you did with what they had.”

“Of course you are,” Tony snorted like it wasn’t even a question. She smiled at him.

“There’s the Stark I know.” Tony’s smile faltered. He twirled the glasses between his fingers for a second before placing them back on his face. “There he is again. I’m not the least bit surprised you used red lenses.”

“Is that something I do?”

“It’s something you wear. You and only you.” They both laughed, but Tony was distracted.

“Carol, who is waiting for me?” Carol hummed in response, not hearing what he had said. “On Earth. You said people were waiting for me there just as much as the people coming. Who are they?” Carol made a noise and face like she understood.

“Well, the Guardians are your friends. Like I said, you were close to Nebula. You’re probably good friends with Rocket, even if you won’t admit it. He’s the raccoon.” Tony nodded in understanding, though he still felt a bit lost. “Thor just now joined that group.”

“Thor? Why does that name sound familiar?” Tony muttered. He had a small amount of hope that he was remembering something, but the look on Carol’s face told him otherwise.

“Norse mythology. His name is prominent. You might have background knowledge of that somewhere in that big brain of yours. He’s a close friend, too.”

“His name is prominent?”

“Well, he’s the actual Thor, I should clarify,” Carol mentioned nonchalantly. Tony looked over at Elm who was quietly taking in everything. Elm looked at him and gave him a shrug.

“So he’s a god?” Carol nodded but didn’t give any further details. “And the others?”

“They were a part of the group that disappeared.”

“The one I brought back?” Carol clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“You didn’t bring them back. Bruce Banner did.” Carol paused, waiting to see if the name would get a reaction. When it didn’t, she continued. “He’s enhanced in a special way, so he didn’t die. You killed Thanos’ entire force and the titan himself.” Tony nodded to show he was following along, but he couldn’t help but feel like she was talking about someone else. The story matched up with what he knew so far. It made much more sense why the Iron Man helmet has been decorating cities. He couldn’t tell which felt less real: the fact that half the universe had disappeared and came back or the fact that he had died killing one of the universe’s largest forces.

“Impressive,” Elm muttered. He had kicked his feet up and gotten more comfortable.

“Who else is waiting for me?” Carol smirked.

“Here’s the difficult part. You were kind of a huge deal before you killed Thanos.” Elm snorted, and Carol threw him a glare.

“Huge deal how?”

“On Earth, maybe a little bit on other planets.”

“A little bit?”

“It’s complicated. You had a hand in defeating a portion of Thanos’ army some years earlier.”

“Damn, Carol,” Elm called out sarcastically. “You didn’t tell me I was dealing with the damn messiah.” Carol ignored him.

“You’re an entrepreneur on Earth. You own a multi-billion-dollar company. You were the Iron Man before Thanos was even a problem.”

“I don’t believe I’m going to believe a word you say until we reach Earth,” Tony replied honestly.

“Fair enough.” The conversation seemed to have stopped for a second, but Tony felt uneasy. He had more questions that he was somewhat scared to ask.

“Is there…Do I have a family?” Carol looked at him softly for a moment, like she was scared to answer. Tony felt himself start to panic at her expression. “Oh god, what—”

“Woah, calm down,” Carol said, putting a soft hand on his shoulder. “You do. They’re fine.” He felt himself relax a bit, breathing in deeply.

“Who?” Tony whispered. He felt tears build up in his eyes, because he couldn’t remember his own family. He avoided looking Carol in the eyes lest she get the idea to drop the subject for now.

“A wife,” Carol whispered back. She sat next to Tony, putting an arm around his shoulder.

“What’s her name,” he sniffled.

“Virginia. You call her Pepper.” Tony snorted, but he didn’t know why. It just felt so _him_. He felt a warm fuzzy feeling run through him, but he didn’t tell Carol any of this.

“My parents?” Carol’s breathing faltered, so Tony looked up at her. She had a pained expression on her face. “Are they…”

“For years. I’m sorry, I know it doesn’t get any easier to hear.” Tony nodded, but he couldn’t stop the warm tears that dropped from his eyes. “You were happy. I swear.”

“So I’ve got Pepper.”

“And Morgan.” That name hit him like no other had before. He hadn’t even felt that way when he heard his own name. He must have shown how much it impacted, because Carol brightened up like a firework. “You remember her?”

“Who is she?” Tony asked desperately.

“Your daughter.” Tony let his head drop into his hands, trying more than ever to remember, to remember anything about her. Carol rubbed his back. “Don’t beat yourself up Tony. We’re going to fix everything.”

“Tell me about them.”

“She’s four. I don’t know her birthday, but I imagine she’s probably turning five some time soon. You’ll be there for that. You’ve never missed a birthday.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. She’s beautiful, like Pepper. She has your eyes, which is why she looks like she’s up to something all the time.” Tony laughed at that. “She’s smart, too smart. She’s probably doing something mischievous right now.”

“I want to see her.”

“You will.” Carol let the conversation fall quiet for a few minutes, letting Tony compose himself. She didn’t want to overwhelm him, but she figured it would be a good idea to prepare him for what’s to come on Earth. “You’ll also see your best friend, Rhodey. He’s practically your brother.”

“Rhodey?” Carol looked at him and realized he was more confused by the name.

“James Rhodes. You made up Rhodey. Everyone calls him that now.”

“I’ve got a thing for nicknames,” Tony muttered to himself. Carol laughed.

“I think it’s your way of showing endearment.” She paused in thought. “You’ve also got Peter.” Tony felt his heart beat faster again.

“Peter…”

“He’s your…son,” Carol tried out. Tony frowned and looked at her.

“Why’d you say it like that?”

“I don’t know that much about you two. He’s not your biological child.”

“What difference does that make?”

“Well, none, but he disappeared, Tony.” Tony’s felt tears rush to his eyes again. “I think he’s the reason you did what you did. I didn’t see you two together much before you…” she trailed off, but Tony knew what she was getting at. “But I talked to him briefly. I also heard from Pepper. I’m only sorry you two didn’t get to spend more time together.”

“But I can now?” Tony asked softly.

“But you can now.”

* * *

 

The coordinates led to a small planet that was well hidden from the radar. Clearly, they couldn’t easily be seen unless they wanted to be seen. Quill let Rocket control the ship while he nervously jittered in his seat. Rocket and the others seemed to have no qualms about this. That was probably because half of them were close to the man they were looking for, and the other half couldn’t give less of a shit.

Rocket gained access of the radio and tried reaching out to anybody on the planet who could hear him. They were pleasantly surprised to hear Carol Danvers’ voice.

“Can’t say I’m glad to hear yours, Rocket,” Carol quipped. Rocket gave a sarcastic laugh and asked for directions. Danvers sent them directly to the ship and told him to be careful on the landing.

“You’re talking to an expert here, Danvers. Watch and learn.” Quill rolled his eyes and opted for looking out the windshield to see what kind of environment they were dealing with. The area they were landing in looked like a desert of sorts. The village wasn’t very advanced. The most advanced thing there was Danvers’ very recognizable ship.

Quill was the last one the leave the Benatar. Thor, Nebula, and Rocket were marching straight off, looking for answers. Drax and Mantis were eagerly walking off together. Groot was distracted by his video game, walking slowly next to Quill.

Quill thought they’d be led somewhere, maybe into one of the tents where’d they see Stark being handcuffed to a post where he couldn’t get away. He was more than startled to see him standing right next to Danvers, waiting for them outside the ship.

Stark was still a bit shaggy looking, but, now that Quill could get a good look at him, it was undeniably him. Quill’s eyes were wide in shock as he looked at the man whose funeral he attended weeks ago. Stark didn’t notice, since he was eyeing Nebula.

Nebula looked directly at Stark. She had no doubt in her mind that it was him. The only thing that changed was the expression on his face. He looked frightened, and Nebula could admit that it was her fault for that. But he shouldn’t be frightened. He never used to look at her like that. He was one of the few who hadn’t looked at her like a monster.

“Tony,” Thor greeted lowly. He walked up to Stark and held out his hand. Stark frowned at it in confusion but placed his hand in Thor’s anyway. Almost immediately, Thor pulled Stark in for a crushing hug that made the man yell out in alarm. Carol rolled her eyes but didn’t move to stop him.

“Don’t scare him, Thor.”

“Just making sure he’s real,” Thor said, letting go of the man. Stark didn’t look scared but stared up at Thor in disbelief. He looked the god up and down and tilted his head.

“Not the physique I was imagining you with, but still very godly,” Stark commented. Thor grinned sadly, remembering Stark’s lack of memory. He looked over at the rest of the team, particularly at Nebula and Rocket. “Apparently I know you two.” Nebula nodded slightly and Rocket grinned.

“Oh you know me, pal. I’m the dude that taught you everything you know,” Rocket explained cockily.

“Ignore him,” Nebula said, making Stark snap his gaze to her. Her voice was deep and soft, completely different from what he heard before. Her eyes, which he had described as demonly before, were gazing at him softly and sadly. It was a look he had been getting a lot now. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt that he had been so scared of her. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“I’m sorry for running away. Kind of. You did look like you were going to kill me,” Stark reasoned. The rest of the Guardians reintroduced themselves, and Carol invited them inside and out of the sun.

“What does he know?” Thor asked Carol.

“Pretty much everything about his situation. He knows about you guys and about his family. He doesn’t remember his own life though. He knows everything from the perspective of a spectator,” Carol explained.

“Do you think there is a solution?” Carol shrugged.

“I wasn’t entirely sure if he really lost his memory or if we were dealing with a completely different person,” Carol admitted, throwing a glance at Stark who was conversing with Nebula. “But when I started talking about his family, he reacted. I think he’s still in there. We just have to get him back to Earth and find out.” Thor nodded in agreement.

“What do we do when we get there?”

“Keep this under the radar and call Strange.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, we're entering our second act, which is Tony discovering who he is.  
> Next Up: Wilson talks to Strange. Tony talks to Quill. Earth.


	12. You Don't Look Like a Doctor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized while writing this that I made Strange come off as the biggest asshole to everyone even though I love him still :) No regrets.

Wilson was going to have to call Strange. He hated talking to Strange. The man was arrogant in a way Wilson had never seen before. The worst part about it was that it came deservedly. The man was a genius far before he became master of the mystical arts.

He couldn’t even believe he was worrying about talking to Strange when he just got the news that Tony Stark was supposedly alive and in space. He wanted to call bullshit, but Thor kept the conversation short and sweet. His tone was gravely serious. Not only that, but they were apparently in contact with Carol Danvers. When everyone decided to leave for space, Wilson thought it would take an emergency to see everyone together again. He wasn’t expecting Tony Stark to be that emergency.

He still wouldn’t believe it until he saw it, but it wasn’t his job to believe. It was his job to facilitate what was going on. For a second, he thought about calling Pepper and Rhodey, but how could he get their hopes up when he couldn’t say with full certainty that he believed the man was alive? Wilson thought he might just break if he thought somebody he knew to be dead and gone was suddenly coming back only to find out it was a false hope. Wilson shook his head and called Strange instead. He picked up almost immediately.

“They found him, didn’t they?” Strange answered. Wilson let his hand drop for a second and rolled his eyes. He sighed before bringing the phone back up to his ear.

“Yeah, I’m not going to bother asking how you knew,” Wilson mumbled into the phone. “The Guardians and Danvers are bringing him. Could be a couple of days.”

“You said Danvers was with them?” Strange asked. Wilson snorted and nodded even though the man couldn’t see.

“Yeah, did you not see that with your psychic vision?”

“Did she say anything?” Strange asked, ignoring Wilsons’ snark.

“I didn’t talk to her. I talked to Thor, and he kept it pretty brief.” Strange hummed from his side like he was thinking. “Why?”

“I told her to be on the lookout for something unusual before she left.”

“What? Why?”

“I had a hunch.”

“About Stark?” Wilson exasperated.

“Well…Kind of. Not about Stark but related to him.” Wilson let out a disbelieving chuckle. “I’m not saying I predicted Tony Stark reappearing somewhere in the universe—”

“Reappearing? Are you sure it’s the same man, the same body?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know until I was able to examine him—”

“God, do we need to check his coffin?”

“I doubt that would go over well with Mrs. Stark and Rhodes.” Strange fell quiet as he listened to Wilson get himself together. He was clearly agitated. “I’ll need to come up to the compound for a few days, be there for when they arrive.”

“How’d you know they’d be coming to the compound?”

“The renovations finished, haven’t they? Where else would you have gone? I doubt the Hilton would be very discreet.”

“I’ll prepare a room,” Wilson muttered miserably.

“Have you told anybody besides me?”

“About Stark? No.”

“Good. Keep it that way. We don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into.” Wilson frowned

“Strange, are we safe bringing him here?”

“He can’t go anywhere else. We’ll be fine. I’ll be there.” Just like that, Wilson was back to rolling his eyes at Strange’s cocky attitude. “I’ll be there soon.” The call ended.

* * *

 

Tony was getting a bit tired of all the eyes that were constantly on him. He got that his situation was odd, but it was even creepier when they were all watching him. He didn’t know how anyone was going to move past this, how he was going to get past this. What if his memory never came back, and they just pretended to put up with him because they retained hope that their own Tony would come back?

Tony hoped to hell and back that wouldn’t happen. More than anything he wanted to see his wife and kids. He was so desperate he thought he might throw up. He wasn’t going to do that, because then everyone would act extra concerned about him. He was very ready to find out what was waiting for him on Earth, but, just as much, he was terrified. Tony announced quietly that he was going to the bathroom.

Tony bumped into Quill, one of the few people not constantly ogling him. He didn’t think the guy hated him, but he couldn’t exactly tell why he was so put off by Tony.

“Did I do something to you that I can’t remember?” Tony asked with a soft chuckle. He wasn’t very amused, but he didn’t want to piss him off. Quill snorted and shook his head.

“No…” Quill answered softly. Tony gave him a skeptical look, so Quill chuckled and shook his head again. “No, it’s not you. It’s just…I lost someone, because of the snap—well, before the snap. Then I disappeared…” Tony’s eyes were wide as he gave Quill a pained expression. Quill forced another chuckle to keep himself from choking up. “Yeah, it’s all messed up.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony whispered. Quill waved him off.

“It’s not your fault,” Quill whispered. “Thanos killed my Gamora. Besides, you’re probably dealing with a lot more with the whole memory loss thing.” Tony chuckled a bit and got himself comfortable next to Quill.

“I don’t think comparing miseries would be a good way to spend our time. Besides, I think we would get along a lot better if we weren’t, maybe even become friends.”

“Yeah, you were kind of an asshole last time I spoke to you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Quill paused. “Okay, we were all kind of assholes, but it was a stressful time. Strange was worse, though.”

“Strange?”

“Wizard guy,” Peter gave without any further explanation. Tony nodded, figuring he’d have to get a lot of information himself back on Earth.

“What am I getting myself into?” Tony whispered, mostly to himself. Quill looked at him, recognizing the helpless look on the man’s face. Quill snorted nervously.

“Listen, man, I know not knowing is probably the most terrifying thing you’ve ever dealt with, but I’ve never seen someone have it as good as you did.” Tony looked at him curiously. “I was there for your, um, funeral.” Tony shrugged like he didn’t really care that he mentioned it. “It was at your lake house. It was beautiful. And I saw your kid, also beautiful. God it was everything I’d ever wish I could have with…” Tony knew he was talking about _his_ Gamora without him saying anything. He didn’t have the words to reassure him that things would be alright or get better.

“Thanks, Quill.”

“Call me Peter.” Tony snorted. “What?”

“I’ve got another Peter already. So, sorry, that name’s taken.” Quill and Tony shared a laugh, and that was all they needed to temporarily reassure them that things would turn out fine.

 

* * *

 

Carol arrived before they did, even while she was carrying Tony’s newly fixed pod. Wilson was watching from outdoors as she came in, a huge ball a flame. Wilson was a huge ball of anxiety, hoping her entrance into the atmosphere had been as discreet as she promised it would be. When she was close enough, Wilson was able to see that she was carrying something, something big. His breath was caught in his throat when he recognized the familiar red and gold paint job.

Carol landed gracefully. She set the pod down cautiously. Wilson didn’t move as she sauntered over to him. She had on a confident smile. She pointed at the pod behind her.

“Stark built that,” she greeted. Wilson nodded, looking past her at the vessel.

“Yeah, I kind of guessed that. Where is he?”

“On the ship with the Guardians. We didn’t want to risk leaving him alone again, so he went with them while I took the pod. He was pretty adamant it wasn’t left behind.”

“I’ll bet,” Wilson whistled, getting closer to it. “Is that alien tech?”

“Calling things alien makes you sound a bit ignorant in the grand scheme of things, but yes. Very valuable alloy he built the ship with.”

“How valuable? Vibranium valuable?” Carol snorted.

“Vibranium is an Earth metal. It may be the strongest thing you guys have, but you guys are only a small piece of the entire universe,” Carol explained.

“So, what you’re saying is ‘yes?’” Carol rolled her eyes.

“Gracium is one of the most valuable elements you can get your hands on depending on where you are. It’s like vibranium in that its abundant in some places, like Wakanda, so it’s less valuable. But everywhere else…”

“It’s a jackpot, yeah I get it. And I’m guessing you’re telling me it’s stronger too. Alright. How long until the rest show up?”

“I wasn’t too far in front of them…” As if on cue, Wilson could see the Benatar in the distance. Like Carol, they had entered the atmosphere discreetly, making their way around to the compound. Wilson felt some of his anxiety start to flare up at the sight of it. Carol stood by his side as it landed and as the ramp descended.

Thor was the first one off. He had a serious look on his face, though he looked somewhat relieved to see Wilson and Carol waiting for them. It seemed like Thor was checking out the compound before declaring it safe for Stark to come out, which was a bit offensive. Wilson couldn’t get too hung up on it, because there was Tony Stark.

He looked rough, which Wilson shouldn’t have been surprised to see. His hair was messy and still pretty gray. His signature goatee was gone and replaced by an unkempt beard. He looked a bit thin under the clothing, but it was all Stark. Wilson wasn’t close to the man, but he couldn’t help the lump that formed in his throat when he saw the man. He wasn’t looking at him like Wilson was. He was looking around, like he was taking everything in for the first time.

“Great to see you again,” Thor greeted with a smile, giving Wilson a strong handshake. Wilson was still staring at Stark.

“Yeah, you too, man.” They brought Stark over, as if to show him off to Wilson himself. Stark looked at him for the first time and gave no reaction. Stark held out his hand hesitantly.

“Tony Stark, apparently,” he introduced himself, adding on that last bit. It felt unreal that the man didn’t know himself, but the tone he said it in launched Wilson in the direction that convinced him further that this man was the one and only Tony Stark.

“Sam Wilson.” Wilson shook his hand. “I guess we should probably get inside.” Carol and Wilson led the group inside. He had cleared it out of all employees and anybody else who might have been lurking around. It was suspicious, sure, but Wilson could get away with a lot of things by claiming it was “Avenger’s business” these days.

 

Tony was sad to say he didn’t recognize anything. Wilson explained on the way inside how it had been rebuilt and renovated since the battle with Thanos, and that was probably why it wasn’t striking any chords with Tony. He tried to make himself believe that. He needed a bit of hope.

He expected them to immediately take him to medical or something of the sort, but Wilson showed everyone to their rooms. Tony was so grateful he wished he had a way to show it. Everyone seemed exhausted and stressed. Now that they were on Earth, they didn’t need to constantly stress about his whereabouts. Despite the lack of people, Tony could tell the building was high-tech and heavily secured, not that he wanted to escape. At least with this in mind, everyone could rest.

Tony immediately took a shower. He shed his clothes without even worrying if he had others he could change into and jumped into the modern, glass shower that sprayed him from all around. The bathroom was practically a sauna by the time he decided he was done. Afterwards, upon recommendation, he trimmed his beard. Apparently, he had a signature style, but he wasn’t exactly sure what that was. Nonetheless, he trimmed it down, so it looked more like a stylish choice rather than a helpless growth.

He did find clothes in the closet. He changed into a pair of sweats that were a bit loose on him and a plain t-shirt. His hair was still wet when he left the room, thinking that someone was probably waiting for him.

He was correct. He went out into a common area and saw a man sitting on one of the couches drinking tea. He had dark hair with graying sides. His attire was an unusual outfit made up of robes and a cape of sorts. He turned when he knew Tony had entered.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Stephen Strange. I’m here to look you over,” the man greeted in a cool voice. Tony squinted at him.

“Really? You don’t look like a physician.”

“I’m retired. I’m also not looking over you medically. FRIDAY already did that.”

“Friday?” Tony repeated.

“That’s the building’s AI. She’s everywhere. Feel free to say hello.” He didn’t know whether he was talking to Tony or the AI, but she responded first.

“Good evening, Mr. Stark. I am FRIDAY.” Her voice rang in his head. Without meaning to, his eyes got wide and met Strange’s. He thought Strange might blow it off as being shocked by the Artificial Intelligence, but he had something different in mind.

“You recognize her voice, don’t you?” He mused. Tony gave him an incredulous look.

“How did you—”

“My primary goal at the moment is helping you acquire your memory. It would help you and the rest of us out in this mystery monumentally. So, please, feel free to tell me any time something like this happens. You should recognize FRIDAY. You created her.” Tony gulped and stared at Strange.

“I created her?” Strange nodded.

“Indeed, Boss,” FRIDAY said cheerfully. She sounded excited at this reveal, and Tony couldn’t help but smile.

“Amazing,” Tony breathed.

“She missed you a lot. A lot of people did. If you want to see them soon, you’re going to have to work with me. Can you do that?” Tony looked around like he was searching for FRIDAY. Strange didn’t stop him because he could tell the man was pondering something. It only went on for a few seconds before he stopped and nodded.

“Whatever it takes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: Rhodey


	13. Please Be Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big Brother Rhodes shows up. One of the many reunions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title inspired by my Far From Home fic I posted. Have you seen it? Feel free to read it and comment on when you cried. :)

Tony would have to spend a lot of time with Strange. He was probably the most qualified person they had to look over him besides Banner, who Tony had yet to meet. He kept asking about when he’d get to meet the man, when he’d get to meet anyone. Instead of answering him, people would just share glances with each other like they were wary. As if it wasn’t bad enough having no memory, he would have problems trying to acclimate again, too.

“There is some good news,” Strange reassured him while Tony was in one of his slumps. Tony just grunted. “I have no doubt that you are the one and true Tony Stark.”

“Really?” Wilson sighed out in relief. Tony raised an eyebrow at the man, wondering why he seemed so happy at the news if he didn’t really know him. “Sorry, it’s just, I have a lot on my plate. Does that mean we're good on the graverobbing?” Strange rolled his eyes

“Yes, Wilson, you can return to your captain business now that you know this isn’t an impersonation,” Strange drawled. Wilson rolled his eyes at him before walking out of the room.

“That’s great news. When can I see my wife?” Tony asked.

“Anytime you want, really.” Tony smiled before it dropped seeing the expression on Strange’s face.

“What? Why do you look like that?”

“I just thought we’d get a chance to work towards getting your memory back before exposing you to others.”

“Wouldn’t seeing people I know help the situation?”

“Perhaps, but there’s a chance this could be a long process. I don’t want you to see them, not recognize them, and beat yourself into a guilt trip that deteriorates the recovery process,” Strange explained. Tony looked at him, trying to search for an ulterior motive in the man and finding none.

“I get that, but I want them here,” Tony whispered. Strange shrugged.

“I’ll get Wilson to contact Colonel Rhodes and your family.”

* * *

 

Rhodey was having a peaceful day at the park when he got a call from Wilson. He took one look at his phone and thought about throwing it into the pond, go on a technology-free retreat for a few days. He felt guilty, because he knew Wilson probably wouldn’t call him if it wasn’t important, but Rhodey really wasn’t in the mood to find out about an alien invasion. He didn’t want to hear about a hostage situation with a queen of somewhere. He wanted to stare at the water. He kept staring at the phone until it stopped ringing. He kept staring at it, waiting for Wilson to leave a voicemail, but it started vibrating again. Wilson was calling again.

“Hello,” Rhodey mumbled into the phone.

“Hey, Rhodey,” Wilson greeted. He sounded calm if not a little on edge, but not urgent enough for a huge battle. Rhodey felt a little weight fall off his shoulders.

“What’s up, Sam?”

“Nothing much—” Wilson said this in a higher pitched voice that didn’t convince Rhodey, “listen, I kind of need you to come to the compound for a few days.” Rhodey sighed, looking at the pond again.

“What?”

“You know I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important—not that it’s life threatening, it’s just…” Rhodey listened as Wilson muttered something to himself that he couldn’t make out. “I don’t know how to explain how urgent it is without worrying you, because you shouldn’t worry.”

“You’re not going to trigger me into a meltdown, Sam. I’ll come down,” Rhodey said pleasantly, though he felt his mood dropping by the second.

“Thank God,” Wilson muttered.

“Can you tell me what this is about?” Wilson forced a laugh.

“Oh this is so something we should deal with in person.” Rhodey swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to keep a peaceful mind.

“Alright. I’ll be there soon.”

 

The compound was void of any people, from what Rhodey could tell. Rhodey pulled up outside the front and didn’t see a single employee nearby. He figured he could leave his car parked out front without getting ticketed or getting tackled by security.

“Good afternoon, Colonel Rhodes,” FRIDAY greeted.

“Hey, FRI,” Rhodey greeted, waving a hand up. “Where is everyone?”

“The employees were given an urgent paid vacation a few days ago upon Mr. Wilson’s request. He is currently making his way to you.” Rhodey nodded and made himself comfortable on one of the chairs in the lobby. He hadn’t been to the compound since it’s renovation. It looked nice. Very clean, like a hospital.

“Rhodey!” Wilson yelled. Rhodey turned towards him to see he had his arms in the air and a shit-eating grin on his face. Rhodey couldn’t help but laugh and get up to greet him. They shared a hug before Wilson clapped him on the back. “It’s been a while, man.”

“It’s good to see you. What’s this about? Why does it look like the apocalypse?” Wilson looked around before he realized Rhodey was talking about the lack of people. It was like he suddenly remembered why Rhodey was here. He got cold feet.

“Oh god, I don’t know how to do this,” Wilson muttered. Suddenly he was questioning why Steve had chosen him. What had he done to earn any of this?

“Sam, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you too stressed out?” Rhodey started questioning him after seeing such a defeated look on his face.

“I’m fine. Listen, it’s about Stark…” Wilson immediately regretted saying his name when he saw Rhodey’s face fall into something indescribable. He would’ve thought he ripped out Rhodey’s heart himself by the crestfallen look on his face. “Hey, I’m sorry. Touchy subject, but this is important.”

“Why?” Rhodey whispered, avoiding eye contact. “What could be so goddamn important that you have to bring him up? It’s over. He’s gone. I’m finally starting to move on, Sam. Please, don’t do this.” Wilson opened his mouth to say something but clamped it shut and shook his head.

“Fuck it, let me just show you,” Wilson muttered to himself. Wilson nodded to where he had come from. “Just come with me.” Rhodey gave Wilson a skeptical look but followed him anyway. They walked deeper into the compound until they started getting closer to the medical wing. Rhodey became very concerned by who could have gotten hurt. Right before one of the largest medical offices was a lounge, where Rhodey was surprised to see the Guardians and Carol Danvers. Rhodey’s jaw dropped.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Rhodey asked. He forgot all the worry he had as he stepped forward to hug and greet those he knew. Carol frowned at him and raised an eyebrow at Wilson.

“Did you not tell him?” she asked. Wilson gave a sheepish smile. Rhodey turned towards him.

“He chickened out of whatever it was. What is it? Who’s hurt?” Rhodey asked, nodding towards the double doors separating the lounge and the doctor’s office.

“I can’t blame him,” Thor said. “It might just be better if you saw it for yourself. Strange is in there waiting.”

“Strange? Dr. Strange is hurt?”

“No,” Wilson answered. “Let’s just go in.” Wilson held open one of the doors and gestured for Rhodey to walk in. Rhodey stared at Wilson as he walked in. Wilson let the door shut behind the two of them. Rhodey felt something break in him when he saw who was sitting in the room.

“What the fuck?” Rhodey muttered. He turned away, ready to walk out the room. He tried his best to keep the tears from escaping his eyes. Wilson stopped him before he could get to the door. “Let go!” Rhodey yelled. “I don’t know what the fuck this is, but I’m done. Get the fuck off of me!” Rhodey stared Wilson right in his eyes as he shouted. He barely registered that Wilson had tears in his eyes as well.

“Rhodey?” Rhodey went weak at the sound of the man’s voice, the man sitting across from Strange. It sounded so much like him. Rhodey let his head drop onto Wilson’s shoulder, who was holding him up.

“Who is that?” Rhodey whispered, not turning around.

“It’s him, Rhodey. I swear on my life that it’s him.”

“Don’t fuck with me. How?”

“We don’t know. That’s why Strange is here. He’s going to help us figure out what’s going on, but he verified that it’s one-hundred percent Tony Stark.” Rhodey composed himself enough to stand on his own two feet. He looked at Wilson, wiping the tears from his face. Wilson nodded, so Rhodey turned around.

The man in the chair was staring at Rhodey with a large amount of concern. He had his hands positioned on both of the armrests of his chair like he was ready to spring out to help at any moment. His big brown eyes were wide and staring at him, unblinking. His hair was messy, not styled and hanging into his eyes. He had a beard, not a goatee. It looked good on him, but it was foreign.

“Tony?” Rhodey whispered. Tony relaxed in his chair a bit.

“That’s me.” Rhodey walked up and sat next to Tony, who hadn’t moved from his position. Rhodey turned to look at Strange, who had been carefully watching the scene unfold.

“What’s going on?” Strange wasted no time.

“When Stark snapped, I felt some sort of change that I had not felt when I first looked into this timeline. I had no idea what had changed or if it had anything to do with Stark. When Stark passed, what must have happened is his soul appearing elsewhere in the universe, creating a body with it. This might account for the memory loss—” Rhodey’s head snapped towards Tony. They had forgotten to mention that portion. “Not too long ago, the Guardians spotted Stark on a heavily populated planet, Xandar. They tried to apprehend him to no avail. Stark had built a pod while on Xandar and used it to escape. He ended up on a hidden planet when he found that the pod needed to be charged. There, Danvers came upon him. She was able to explain what was going on and regroup with the Guardians.”

Rhodey sat there, trying to process everything. It all sounded like bullshit. Rhodey attended Tony’s funeral, his brother’s funeral. They had kept the casket closed because of the gruesome burns. Rhodey felt numb. It took him weeks to convince himself that Tony was actually gone. Now they’re sitting here telling him that the man beside him is the same one they buried.

Rhodey looked over, and Tony was staring at him with those sad eyes of his. Rhodey bit his lip to stop himself from crying anymore in front of him, because he was sure Tony might break down in tears if he did.

“He can’t remember anything?” Rhodey mumbled. He spoke louder. “You can’t remember anything?” Tony shook his head.

“I’m sorry.” Rhodey nodded.

“We’re going to fix this,” Rhodey said, determined. He looked at Strange again. “What do we have to do?”

 

Tony wished he could say he instantly recognized the man that walked into that room. He looked around the same age of Tony. He had devices on his legs that looked like they were helping him walk. The man took one look at him and broke down in tears. He had tried to leave. Tony knew this had to be Rhodey.

They had all tried to tell Tony that there were people taking his death hard, but he hadn’t been expecting to see this broken man. He could imagine seeing your best friend alive wasn’t any easier than hearing that you were supposed to be dead but weren’t for some reason.

The man walked slowly and cautiously. Wilson was treating him like Rhodey might break at any minute. The sight broke Tony’s heart and he thought he might start crying too. God, he must have been close. Why couldn’t he remember it? He wanted to remember him so bad. He thought he would break down because of his wife and kids. He didn’t know how much it would hurt to see his best friend.

“We were thinking of using one of your own inventions, actually,” Strange stated calmly. Tony perked up a bit. He knew he had some skills, as he demonstrated by rebuilding a pod, finessing his watch, and constructing his decoding glasses. He was still always eager to find out what he had done before his memory gone, everything he had achieved. “The Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing.”

“B.A.R.F? Wasn’t that supposed to be therapeutic?” Wilson asked.

“It’s a direct line to the hippocampus,” Strange explained, sounding somewhat impressed. “I doubt Stark knew the full capabilities of what he was working with besides helping you sleep better at night.”

“Alright. So how do we do this?” Rhodey asked. They were all surprised to hear him contributing.

“I’ll take a look at the last model Stark had worked on. It’s probably dusty. I don’t know the last time Stark worked on it. In the meantime, you need to set up a space we can work. Mrs. Stark will be here soon, so we’ll start with the memories with the people he knows here. I’ll look into nonmedical options we can use as well.”

“Him and magic in his mind don’t get along well,” Rhodey muttered. Tony didn’t say anything, but he couldn’t help but feel like that was correct.

“He’s dealing with me. He’ll have nothing to worry about.” No one caught the incredulous look on Wilson’s face as he watched Strange speak to them in a soft, comforting tone that Wilson had never heard from the man. The four of them worked out a few more details and were determined to get started as soon as possible.

“Mr. Wilson,” FRIDAY announced her presence, “Mrs. Stark has arrived.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: Pepper and B.A.R.F.


	14. Remaking Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper arrives at the compound. Tony experiences his first memory. Progress is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still recovering from Far From Home AND Stranger Things. One hit after another. Anyway, here's the first of many uses of B.A.R.F. It should probably go without saying that this isn't Far From Home compliant, but, if you think about it, this fic could kind of fit in (making a stretch there).

Pepper had left Morgan in the care of Peter again. The boy seemed more than glad to babysit, which Pepper didn’t expect in any teen. It was unexpected and last minute, so Pepper let out a large sigh of relief when Happy pulled up to drop the boy up. She gave him a soft hug and reassured him everything was where it usually was. She would be home in a few hours.

Pulling up to the compound was surreal, but Pepper was fine. She recognized Rhodey’s car parked out front and was very interested in what was going on. She walked with a purpose as she always did, comforted by the echoing click of her heels as she entered the empty building. FRIDAY greeted her like always. Pepper was prepared to ask where everyone was at when Wilson came jogging in.

“Hey, Pepper,” he greeted. Pepper narrowed her eyes at him.

“What’s going on.”

“Straight to the point. I can respect that.” Wilson said. “I already tried this with Rhodey, didn’t work well. I’m just going to go straight to showing you. You doing good?” Wilson asked. Pepper followed diligently beside him as he led her. Instead of to the hospital wing, Wilson led her to a common room where Strange said they would reside. Taking up all the seats once again were the Guardians, Carol Danvers, Dr. Strange, Rhodey, and Tony Stark. Pepper stood next to Wilson taking everyone in. Seeing all the people immediately set off alarms, and she knew why when she saw Tony sitting next to Rhodey.

Pepper made eye contact with Rhodey, who had red eyes. They seemed to have a mental conversation. Everyone else knew when Rhodey nodded slightly, and Pepper started to tear up. Pepper turned back to Tony who was slowly standing up. Wilson was beginning to feel like he and everyone else were imposing as Tony made his way over to Pepper.

Pepper reached out slowly and grabbed Tony’s hands. She turned them over like she was making sure he was real. His palms were warm and unwavering. She placed her hands in his. Tony closed them, feeling how soft they were, rubbing his hands over her wedding ring. She smelled good. When he looked at her face, he couldn’t remember her. She was beautiful, but he couldn’t remember her. When he got a whiff of her perfume, he felt like everything changed.

“Pepper,” he breathed out. She didn’t say anything. She grabbed his head in her hands and leaned her forehead against his.

“How?” Pepper asked. She was speaking to everybody, to anybody. Strange spoke up, explaining the same things he said to Rhodey. Pepper only moved to wrapped her arms around his torso, not moving her head from his. By the time Strange was done explaining, Pepper had tears running down her cheeks. She looked up to see Tony looked the same, most likely saddened by her sadness.

“You don’t remember me?” Pepper asked softly. Tony shook his head.

“I do.” Everyone sat up in attention at that. “Not all of you, but I remember that smell. Your perfume. It reminds me of something, of you and the beach.” No one said anything, but everyone was looking at Strange as he studied the exchange. Pepper giggled softly.

“We used to live in Malibu. That’s probably what you remember. I’ve used this scent for years.” Tony took a deep breath.

“I like it.”

 

Bruce Banner took part in a lot of therapeutic activities lately. He tried yoga despite how silly people claimed he looked, and he meditated during his free time. He had been living a relatively peaceful life for the past few months. He immediately felt that was all about to come to an end when he got a call from Sam Wilson.

Bruce didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he entered the compound, maybe some sort of clean up with the infinity stones they missed way back when. Maybe they wanted his help designing something. He doubted that last one, but it was okay to hope. Either way, Bruce thought he had seen it all when he found a way to ultimately connect with the Hulk. So when he saw Tony Stark sitting there, he reminded himself to stop being surprised by things.

“What exactly do you want me to do?” Bruce asked after they explained everything to him. He tried to stop looking at Tony, because he could imagine that the man was getting tired of that. Practically the entire crew was here. They must have been staring at him for quite a while, trying to discern if the man was going to disappear on them.

“I wanted an extra set of hands while Stark undergoes B.A.R.F.,” Strange explained. I don’t exactly have an experienced set of hands at my disposal, and it’s too risky to bring in an outsider. Are you up for the job?” Bruce ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He nodded.

“Yeah, alright. I don’t really want to miss out on this anyway.”

Everyone seemed to want to view what was about to go down. Many of them hadn’t seen B.A.R.F. in action, didn’t know the true extent of Tony’s genius. They wanted to be around if something went wrong or if something went really, really right. Strange asked if Tony had any objections, and he had said no. He thought that having people around might make the process easier.

Everyone watched from a large one-way mirror. Strange, Pepper, Rhodey, and Bruce were in a control room, also out of sight. All that was left was Tony in an empty room for everyone to see. He was nervous, not because of everyone watching him but for what he might see. In the control room, they were making the decision for what he would see. Tony was taking deep breaths, trying to think of what they might show him. That was the problem. He couldn’t even begin to formulate a memory they might show him.

The white room changed and morphed. Tony was taken back, not expecting it to change so suddenly or look so real. He was no longer in the compound. He was in a house. He was sitting on the couch by a fire. He could _feel_ the fire. Tony slowly stood up, turning around. Everyone reassured him it was alright if he didn’t recognize anything, but he did. He was home.

He was in his cottage. He could hear the banging of pots in another room. He started walking that way. They told him that the glass would morph the image to make it seem like he was moving and not the room, like what was really happening. Suddenly he was at a doorway. He could see Pepper at the sink. Her hips swayed back and forth, and she sang a song, but she wasn’t the only one singing. Tony turned and saw a little girl sitting at the counter. She was singing along and drawing with crayons. _Morgan, Morgan, Morgan_ , his brain repeated, like he was afraid he would forget again. God, he didn’t want to forget. He was entranced by the scene, afraid to move.

“Baby?” Tony tried, his voice wavering a little bit. He had been afraid to speak, afraid to ruin the scene, but they told him he should interact. He should participate to try to remember. The little girl—Morgan turned around. She got a big smile on her face.

“Daddy!” Tony felt his heart crack. Morgan was jumping in her seat, pounding her palms on the counter. She wanted him to come over. Tony walked slowly, scared to mess anything up. Pepper threw a smile over her shoulder and continued to wash the dishes. She smiled at him like that a lot, knowing how much Tony loved it when Morgan got excited to see him. Tony didn’t know how he knew that, he just did.

Tony went up behind Morgan, not touching anything because he knew it wouldn’t be there. He looked down at her drawing. It almost a typical family drawing, except Tony could recognize the familiar metal suits they were all dressed in.

“You’re ruining her,” Pepper teased. “She’s going to want a suit for her birthday instead of a pony.”

“Damn, I already got the pony,” Tony said without thinking. He didn’t know where it came from. It felt so natural. Pepper laughed while putting a dish away. Tony smiled, feeling warmth build up inside him.

“I want more crayons,” Morgan muttered while she continued to color her suit. Pink and blue were her choice colors.

“I’ll buy you a 1000-piece set of crayons,” Tony said quietly, wishing he would reach out and touch her hair.

“Can you even think of 1000 colors?” Pepper asked.

“It’ll just be like a 100-piece set times ten.” Pepper finished washing to dishes and smiled. She started to walk over to Tony. It looked like she was going to touch him before the memory came to an end. Everything seemed to flicker before everything disappeared, and Tony was in an empty white room again. Tony felt hot tears run down his cheek. He didn’t even notice Pepper leaving the control room and coming out to see him.

“What’s wrong, Tony? Is it your head? What’s wrong,” she asked frantically, scared to death something went wrong. He just shook his head, holding her hands in his.

“Nothing,” he whispered. “I want it to be real. I really want it to be real.” Pepper’s face softened.

“It is real. I swear to you, it’s real. I’m here, Tony.” Tony shook his head and sniffled.

“It’s not real. I can’t remember, so it’s not real.”

“Tony, you wouldn’t have been able to see it if it wasn’t your memory.” Tony looked up at her. “You’re the one wearing the glasses. It came from _your_ head. Therefore, it’s your memory. Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to stop?” Tony shook his head.

“I want to see her. I want to see Morgan.” Pepper nodded.

“Okay, we can do another one with Morgan.”

“No. I want to see the real Morgan.” Pepper stared at him hesitantly. “Please.”

“Do you remember her, Tony?” Tony almost blurted out that he did, but didn’t, not entirely. He thought he could remember spending time with her, but he couldn’t remember what he did during those moments. “She won’t understand, or she might. It could hurt her. She’s only a child. God knows she’s probably as smart as you, but we’ve just convinced her you’re gone.”

“She’s going to have to see me eventually.”

“Not when you can barely remember her.” Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to control his breathing. He looked up to the ceiling to try not to cry. Pepper felt an insurmountable amount of guilt. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Tony shook his head. “I’ll remember. I’ll remember her and everyone else, and I’m going to get her a pony for her birthday.” Pepper snorted.

“She’s already spoiled by you.”

“Well, prepare yourself, because it’s about to get ten times worse.”

The scene was bittersweet to everyone watching. Seeing how hard it was hitting Tony made them feel a lot of different things, but more than anything else was hope. Strange saw the look on his face when he saw Morgan for the first time. Pepper was pretty determined that she stay away until Tony was better, but Strange had a feeling that something might come of his daughter being in his presence. It didn’t seem like that was going to happen any time soon. Strange figured there were probably hundreds of memories they could try before they had to resort to other things.

That was another reason why Strange was so happy to see some spark in Tony’s eyes. If they could get the ball rolling with Tony’s own technology, they might not have to involve anyone else. While he knew how advanced Wakanda was now that they had revealed themselves, it seemed like too big a risk to take to try and involve them. The last thing they needed was word getting out that Stark was alive right now.

Pepper came back into the control room and gave them a smile. She suggested another memory for them to try, so Strange started the program up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: Spidey-boy and some more memories.


	15. You've Got Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is suspicious. Tony remembers an important event in his life. Tony sees another important figure in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all the reception this fic has been receiving. I hadn't really been expecting it when I first wrote and posted it, so it's been amazing. We're getting to the halfway point, which is crazy considering all that's happened so far. Still, there's a lot more to come. Thanks for sticking around this far.

When Happy rolled up to the cottage to relieve Peter of his babysitting duty, Peter was more than concerned. He asked where Pepper was only for Happy to say that she was going to be away a bit longer than anticipated. Peter asked if they needed him to babysit some more, and Happy just about fell over with relief. Peter could come back after school to relieve Happy a bit.

“Where is she, by the way?” Peter asked as Happy pulled up to his apartment building. “Pepper?”

“At the compound. Now, get out of my car.” Peter paused.

“What?” Happy turned around.

“What?”

“Why is she at the compound?” A look of realization came over Happy. He shouldn’t have said anything.

“Just forget it, kid. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Like always, MJ knew something was up. Ned was oblivious, asking when Peter would be available to hang out again. Peter distractedly answered that he didn’t know and that he was babysitting again.

“Again? Is Potts gone?” MJ chimed in.

“Mrs. Stark,” Peter corrected. “And yeah.”

“Are you okay? You seem distracted. Is another bad day?” She asked quietly. Peter gave her a smile that looked insincere and nodded.

“I’m okay. I’m just thinking about the free response I missed on the physics test.” That triggered Ned into a whole different discussion. MJ continued to look at Peter, waiting for him to drop the façade.

Morgan was more than happy to see Peter again. She felt like it was a treat any day someone visited. It only made it that much better that it was Peter. Peter kept up the happy façade, showing Morgan the Legos he had brought for them to play with. She laughed when he told her they had to keep it secret, or it would made Ned jealous.

“Did you bring any clothes or just Legos?” Happy asked, eyeing Peter’s backpack. It was a Friday, so Peter agreed to Happy’s pleas to stay over so he could go to sleep.

“Of course!” Peter pulled out a t-shirt to prove it. It was a Spiderman shirt. Happy rolled his eyes and told him to try not to wake him. Peter figured the man was going to go home, but Happy relented that something seemed off with Pepper. He didn’t want to be too far if she needed her. It was sweet. Peter told him that and Happy just shoved money for pizza in Peter’s hands and went to the guest room.

Morgan could muster up a lot of energy when she found out she didn’t have to go to bed early. She entertained herself for the most part, but she was excited to have someone to do these things with. Peter felt guilty about not being over here more. Maybe he just needed to get Morgan out more to be with kids her age.

Peter felt a bit guilty since it was well past midnight when he finally got Morgan off her sugar rush and into her bed. She didn’t look like she was going to wake up anytime soon.

“Hey, FRIDAY?” Peter asked, not sure if she was hooked up throughout the house. Peter heard a chime from the office and walked towards it. In an effort to not wake anyone, FRIDAY spoke from the office computer.

“How can I help you, Peter?” She asked quietly.

“Can you alert me or Karen if Happy or Morgan wakes up?” FRIDAY was silent for a few seconds.

“Are you planning on using the suit?” Peter grew red. Of course FRIDAY was smart and figured it out in mere seconds. He probably shouldn’t have mentioned Karen.

“Yeah, it’s fine. She’s asleep and Happy is here if there’s an emergency.”

“I can do that, Peter. However, I would not recommend it.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” Peter grinned. He walked back to the living room where he had dumped his bag. He searched around in it until he felt the familiar material of his Spiderman suit. He pulled it out and wasted no time in stripping down to his underwear so he could put the suit on.

“Hey, Karen,” Peter greeted as he quietly exited the house.

“Good evening, Peter. It’s a bit late to be out. Is there an emergency?” Karen pleasantly asked.

“No, no emergency today. Hey, can you get me a route to the Avengers Compound?” Peter asked nonchalantly. Karen did so without saying anything. “Thanks!”

“Should I alert Mr. Hogan of your departure?”

“No, no no!” Peter exclaimed as he started swinging down the route she had pulled up. “He’s sleeping anyway. He wouldn’t want that. Just…is there a way I can easily get into the compound once I get there?”

“I can alert FRIDAY. You should have access despite the recent renovation.”

“As Peter Parker or as Spiderman?”

“Both.”

“Great. Tell FRIDAY I’m on my way.”

* * *

 

Tony was walking through the desert. It was so hot, he thought he was only seconds away from collapsing. He thought that each step would be the last before he face-planted into the burning hot sand. There was something covering his head, maybe to keep the sand out of his face. He couldn’t remember. All he knew was that his shoulders were burning and peeling, and his back was coated in a layer of sticky sweat. He thought he felt another drop roll down, and he shivered despite being overheated.

It was hopeless. Why was he hopeless? What was he doing here? He was scared, so scared. God, he didn’t want to die before he got to see Pepper again, before he got to see Rhodey again. His chest hurt and he just wanted to go home. Why did his chest hurt so bad? He looked down, there was something sticking out of it. Not just anything, it was his reactor. It was his arc reactor. Why did he call it that? He felt like panicking. He had to get it out of his chest.

Yinsen saved his life. He should just be grateful, but dammit if it didn’t constantly put an ache in his chest. Yinsen? Who was Yinsen? He was dead. Tony remembered that. Why was he even thinking about him when it still hurt?

Tony wanted to cry. Yinsen was gone. He didn’t know he could get attached to someone in three short months, but it hurt like hell. Yinsen was a genius, and no one would no him. Tony had abandoned him. He made the suit and abandoned him.

One step. And then another. And then another. Just one more. You’ll get there. Tony repeated this himself. He thought he was going to collapse, so he started to run. Just let him get to the next civilization, please. God, he didn’t need to. Tony saw a helicopter, and he yelled out in surprise. Then he yelled out in joy. God, they found him. They really found him. His Rhodey found him.

He collapsed. He decided it was okay. Rhodey was running towards him, and Tony teared up. It was really him. They actually found him. He wasn’t going to die.

“How was the fun-vee?” Rhodey asked. It was exactly what Tony wanted to hear. He wanted to hear anything, just to hear his voice. “Next time, you ride with me.” Tony went to throw his arms around him, but Rhodey disappeared. The desert disappeared. He was surrounded by white walls.

Tony still had tears in his eyes. His looked at his hands to see they were no longer dirtied by sand. The fabric covering his head was no longer there, was never there. Neither was the sweat that he could’ve sworn he felt dripping down his back. He stood up and looked around. It felt so real. Rhodey came out of the control room.

“You good man?” Tony laughed, making Rhodey frown.

“I’m suddenly struck by how old you are.” Rhodey looked at him, and then his face broke out into a smile.

“You’re sporting more gray hairs than me, Tones. Was it familiar?” Tony cleared his throat and nodded a bit.

“I, uh, I was scared,” Tony explained. Rhodey’s face softened, and he looked regretful. “I escaped and was so afraid I’d die before I saw you guys again.”

“Escape from who?” Tony could tell Rhodey knew the answer, and he could tell that Rhodey was excited by how much Tony was remembering.

“I don’t know. Bad guys,” Tony snorted. “Not in America. They kidnapped me and kept me trapped for months, three months. They tortured me.” Tony brought a hand up to his chest and rubbed at it. That immediately caught Rhodey’s eye. “Yinsen helped me. He helped me escape when I made a suit, the first Iron man. I thought I was going to collapse and die. Then you showed up.”

“God, you’re doing so well, man,” Rhodey said, walking up to him. Tony wasted no time putting his arms around him when he got close enough.

“Not really. This is the only one I’ve remembered so much from.”

“It’s probably because you suffered from PTSD,” Strange commented from the doorway. “You were kidnapped by the Seven Rings. They wanted you to make weapons. Instead, you built Mark I of the Iron Man and escaped. You remember being tortured though?” Tony nodded.

“I remember that they waterboarded me. I couldn’t get in pools or baths after that,” Tony muttered. He put his hand back up to his chest. “There was something in my chest…my arc reactor.” Rhodey looked impressed.

“Yes, do you remember it?”

“I built one for the Skrulls. Rhodey, I was going to build them weapons,” he whispered, a bit horrified. He could remember why the cave felt so familiar now. He could remember why the entire situation felt so familiar.

“Hey, it’s fine. Carol can vouch for the Skrulls, and she said you never got to anyway.” Rhodey patted his chest. “When they kidnapped you, you were next to one of your own weapons and got shrapnel lodged in your chest. Yinsen, the man you remember, operated and made an electromagnet to keep it from getting to your heart. You miniaturized the arc reactor and put it in your chest.”

“Damn,” Tony muttered. Rhodey laughed and nodded.

“Damn indeed. Want to take a break?” Tony, who was still rubbing his chest, nodded. “Shut it down, Strange.” Strange just nodded and went back into the control room.

Those who had been watching looked worried yet pleasantly surprised. Groot, Mantis, Quill, and Drax went to bed. Rocket, Nebula, and Thor were entranced by the scenes that Tony was playing out. Carol gave him a smile when he walked out.

“You’re doing better than we anticipated. I’m not a doctor, but you should be well on your way to recovery at this rate.” Tony smiled back at her. “I know it’s late, but how about we get something to eat. We probably starved you.”

“That’d be great.” They made their way to the common room. Pepper kissed Tony on the cheek, which took him by surprise and made him blush like a middle schooler. She giggled quietly and told him she was going to take a shower. Rhodey claimed he was going to help Carol with dinner, and Tony was left alone.

There was a TV in the room, but Tony didn’t feel like watching it. He just stared at his reflection on the black screen. He thought back to all the memories he had relived today. He tried to remember what happened before or after the ones he experienced. He was actually able to get pretty far, but not far enough. He could remember what led up to certain things happening or where he went when certain things were done, but it was still difficult to recall the entire missing pieces of his life.

It was fairly quiet in the compound with no one there. The only thing Tony could hear besides his own breathing was the banging of pots in the kitchen as they prepared something. Tony took in a deep breath and decided meditating might be a good way to start recalling things. He never got the chance to start.

“Mr. Stark?”

* * *

 

Peter felt his heart beating pretty fast as he made his way to the compound. Besides Spiderman with Aunt May, he never really snuck out. Sure, he was still Spiderman, but this was for Happy and Mrs. Stark. He could get in serious trouble if he got caught, which made the incentive not to a whole lot larger. What if Mrs. Stark wouldn’t let him babysit Morgan anymore? Why hadn’t Peter thought of that before putting on the suit?

It was too late now. The compound was in view. The lights surrounding the building were on, but there were very few lights on inside. It was a ghost town. Peter felt himself get goosebumps, but he didn’t feel any danger lurking. He swung forward.

“Karen, how do I get in without anyone noticing,” Peter asked.

“You could walk through the front doors since you have access,” Karen suggested. Peter rolled his eyes.

“Well, can you tell FRIDAY not to tell anybody?”

“It is in FRIDAY’s protocols to alert Mr. Wilson whenever a visitor arrives.” Peter let out a frustrated sigh.

“What if I’m not a visitor?” Karen didn’t reply. “I have access to the compound. Doesn’t that make me, I don’t know, an employee?” Karen was still quiet. “Can you reason that with FRIDAY?”

“FRIDAY has alerted me that she will allow you to enter without notifying Wilson.”

“Thanks,” Peter sighed. He swung to the front door and slowly opened them. They had clicked unlocked when Peter placed his hand on the door, and it relocked when the door closed. The lobby was void of anyone. Peter didn’t even know what he was looking for. He felt something in his gut. He didn’t feel danger. He just felt like he was missing something.

“Hey, Karen, can you scan the compound to tell me how many people are in here?”

“I can answer that, Mr. Parker,” FRIDAY’s voice chimed up. “There’s thirteen people including you inside this building.” FRIDAY’s voice was loud. Peter desperately shushed her, apologizing as he did so.

“Sorry, FRIDAY. I’m going to have to stick to asking Karen for now,” he whispered. Thirteen people? Who could those thirteen be?

“Karen, scan the compound.” Karen did as Peter requested. Peter could see many heat signatures in what Peter assumed to be bedrooms. They were evenly spaced out and laying horizontally. They were sleeping. Peter could see another figure standing in place, only moving their arms. He saw two people close to each other, constantly moving past each other and reaching out for items. Lastly, Peter saw a figure sitting by themselves, unmoving.

Peter opened the stairwell and moved to the floor where people were moving. He opened the door to that floor as silently as possible. He crawled up towards the high ceilings and realized he was in a common area of sorts. He crawled around upside down until he came to the kitchen. His eyes widened when he saw Colonel Rhodes and Captain Marvel domestically cooking some sort of pasta together. Wasn’t she supposed to be in space? What were they doing here? Peter cautiously crawled away. Who was the figure sitting down?

The figure hadn’t moved. He had his back to Peter as he crawled in. Peter thought his heart stopped for a second as he got a glimpse of the gray hair overtaking the chocolate brown. Peter stealthily lowered himself from the ceiling until he was on the floor. He walked silently until he was behind the man. Then he walked around until he was on the side and saw for sure who it was.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter’s voice cracked. The man, Tony, opened his eyes. He looked confused and looked over at Peter. The confusion dropped off his face, and his eyes widened.

“Peter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: You can probably guess what's next.


	16. Do You Remember Him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony meets Peter. Tony remembers someone else he hasn't met yet.

Tony stood up, his eyes never leaving the Spiderman mask. Spiderman, he knew who that was without a second’s hesitation. He knew it was Peter underneath there. He walked over there slowly. The kid didn’t move. Tony stood in front of him. He reached up and pulled the mask off his face. Peter’s brown eyes were glazy and wide-open staring at him.

“Peter,” Tony repeated, unable to believe that he remembered him. Of course he remembered him, that was his kid. He’s the reason Tony went back in time.

“FRIDAY,” the kid said, his eyes not leaving Tony’s face.

“Yes, Peter?” the AI answered

“What’s going on here?” Peter’s dumbstruck expression went even sadder as his eyes watered more, then it went angry. “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Peter,” Tony said again, without meaning it. The name was so familiar. Tony could remember calling it out when they were in the lab. He remembered using it when he answered a phone call from the kid. He could remember seeing the kid in front of him calling out his name and crying. Why was he crying again?

“What?” Peter angrily screamed back at the man. It wasn’t Tony. It wasn’t Mr. Stark. He didn’t know what this was, but he was pissed. Why would they do this? Wasn’t it bad enough?

“Peter?” Peter whipped his head around and saw Pepper walking into the sitting room with wet hair. She looked confused as she glanced back and forth between him and Tony. “What are you doing here? Where’s Morgan?” Tony perked up at the name Morgan but said nothing.

“At home with Happy,” Peter answered. He jerked his thumb towards the man beside him. “What is this.” Pepper looked at Tony and his expression softened.

“Why don’t we sit down.”

“I want to know what the fuck is going on!” Peter yelled. He jabbed his finger at Tony. He had angry tears that streamed down his cheek. He wiped them off angrily, sniffling a bit. “What did you guys do! What is this thing! Why can’t you guys just leave it alone?” Peter whined the last part. His head dropped down into his hands. Tony couldn’t stand to see the kid weep. He placed a hand on Peter’s back, but the kid flinched away.

Rhodey and Carol had come into the room when they heard yelling. They shared an identical look of “oh shit” when they saw it was Peter Parker. The kid looked traumatized just by seeing the man, and he didn’t even know what was going on yet.

Pepper led Peter over to one of the couches and sat down next to him. She wrapped an arm around him and tried to calm him down. The kid refused to lift his head out of his hands, and Tony thought he felt his heart crack a bit. Tony sat in an armchair next to Pepper. Rhodey and Carol also took seats in the room.

“Peter, you don’t have to say anything,” Pepper said calmly once Peter’s cries had quieted down a bit. “We’re going to explain. You just have to give us a chance to, okay?” Peter didn’t say anything. He didn’t look up. He stayed hunched over with his shoulder slightly shaking.

“It’s the real Tony,” Carol started explaining. She kept a cool and confident voice that would hopefully convince Peter they weren’t playing around. “We think it has something to do with the infinity stones, the soul one.”

“I swear on my life, Pete,” Rhodey chimed in. Peter still wouldn’t look up. “That’s him. A little scuffed up, but it’s him. He doesn’t have all of his memories though.” Peter finally looked up when Rhodey started explaining. His face was red and covered in tears and tear tracks. His nose was an even brighter red from how much he rubbed it and sniffled. Rhodey gave him a small smile.

“We’re working on getting his memories back right now. We were going to call you as soon as we thought he was stable enough.” Tony shifted a bit but didn’t say anything. Pepper continued, “He only just arrived a couple days ago.” Peter finally looked over at Tony.

“Do you remember me?” Peter asked quietly, a bit sheepishly. He was lucky he could hide his blush behind his already red face. He was a bit ashamed by his meltdown. Tony bit his lip and nodded.

“Yes…Well, kind of. I know you enough. I know you’re my son,” Tony explained. Peter sputtered while trying to think of a response. Rhodey immediately laughed at his response, which made Peter more flustered. “What?”

“Nothing,” Peter finally managed to choke out. He awkwardly ruffled his hair just to do something with his hands. “Um, can I help?” Peter asked sheepishly. Pepper and Rhodey shared a look.

“Don’t you have school, kid?” Tony asked before either of them could answer.

“You’re more important than some fucking high school,” Peter said like it wasn’t even a question. Tony laughed.

“Watch your language. Aunt May wouldn’t appreciate that.” Like they always did when Tony remembered something, everyone perked up and looked at each other like they were in on a secret. Tony knew he was remembering things pieces at a time but didn’t ever comment on it. “Speaking of Aunt May, you have to stay with her. She’d get concerned if you just disappeared for a few days.”

“Please. I don’t care. I just want to see you.” Tony’s expression softened from the amused one he had on earlier. This kid was just like everyone else he was surrounded with. He was just starting to get over his death. He couldn’t just send him off after he found out he was alive. Tony looked over at Pepper, and she laughed.

“Oh yeah, you’re remembering stuff. You’re remembering stuff because you give me that face all the time when you want something and know it’s not a good idea,” Pepper said with narrowed eyes. Tony didn’t even know he was doing it. It felt so natural.

“Pep.”

“He’s got responsibilities, Tony. He can’t stay here.” Tony and Peter let out complaints, and Pepper held up a hand like the mama bear she was. “He can visit as much as he likes, but he has to go to school. He has to stay with his aunt.” Peter pouted but didn’t complain any further.

“What about his memory?” Peter asked. “What if I can help with that?”

“You have helped,” Carol answered with a smile. “This is probably the most he’s remembered at once, and it was without B.A.R.F. But he has other important things he has to remember that don’t involve you. Sorry, Peter.” Peter pouted. Tony laughed and got up to ran his hand through Peter’s hair and muss it up.

“Why don’t you sleep here?” Pepper suggested. “I don’t want you swinging back this late. I’ll have FRIDAY send a message to Happy. He’ll be mad at you.” Peter chuckled, embarrassed. “You hungry? Rhodey and Carol made spaghetti.”

“At 1 a.m.?” Peter asked. Rhodey narrowed his eyes at him.

“Are you hungry or not?” Rhodey asked.

“I’m always hungry. Fast metabolism,” Peter explained, making his way to the kitchen.

* * *

 

“Hey, Peter!” Quill greeted enthusiastically as he entered the kitchen for breakfast.

“Hi, Peter!” Peter greeted back, speaking just as excitedly. It was a completely different mood from before. Everything was peacefully domestic as people filed into the kitchen, including Wilson who was more than surprised to see Peter and interrogated Friday as to why he wasn’t alerted.

“Good morning, Peter,” Thor entered. Peter flushed, not expecting to see a god.

“Thor…” Peter stuttered, his eyes bugged out in hero-worship. “M-morning! How was space?”

“Space was good,” Thor answered with a smile. He munched on a piece of toast. “How are you feeling, Stark?” Tony looked up when he heard his name. He was mid-sip his third cup of coffee.

“Huh? Oh. Fine.” Every listened intently to whatever the man said, whether or not it was important. “What’s Strange doing?”

“Probably some weird magic crack or whatever he gets up to,” Wilson muttered bitterly. Rhodey snorted at his answer and ignored the glare that held no weight Wilson threw at him.

“Meditating, I think,” Pepper answered, placing a kiss on Tony’s cheek before sitting down next to him. Tony smiled down at his cup of coffee. “He had FRIDAY tell me that we’d start the memory thing again at noon if you were up to it.”

“Of course,” Tony replied. People broke into their small conversations as they ate the breakfast Rhodey had so kindly prepared for them. Tony kept staring into his cup of coffee before he got the courage to speak up. “I had a dream last night.” Everyone quieted down.

“What about? Was it a memory?” Pepper asked softly.

“I don’t know. I think so. It felt familiar.” Tony tapped his mug before setting it down in front of him. “I was in the Iron Man suit. We were in some kind of lab…”

“We?” Thor asked. Tony’s head snapped up and looked at Thor.

“Yes, yes! You were there,” Tony said a bit louder. Thor frowned, trying to think of what Tony could have been referring to. “Except you didn’t have the…” Tony gestured to his own belly. Rhodey snorted.

“That doesn’t really narrow it down. This is still a relatively recent thing,” Rhodey explained.

“You were carrying your hammer,” Tony continued. “There were other people. I knew them, kind of. I had just met them. Bruce was there except he wasn’t so…green. He was helping me with something before everyone barged in, like they always do,” Tony mumbled the last part, but everyone heard it. “There was a man with an eye patch. He did something bad or stupid. We were angry at him. Then this blond dude showed up—” Tony thought he could hear a couple people hitch their breath. “He was in some fancy get-up that I kind of recognize. And there was a redhead chick. She entered the same time as Thor.”

Thor knew exactly what Stark was talking about. One of the first times they had all grouped together on the helicarrier. Stark and Banner had been working with the scepter, and the conversation kept escalating and escalating.

“Ugh,” Tony groaned. “I can’t remember why, but I’m pissed.” Thor snorted.

“Probably because you and Rogers got in a fight,” Thor said, amused at the memory. Everyone turned to look at him, including Stark.

“Rogers?” The smile dropped off Thor’s face. Everyone gave him an annoyed look. He gave an awkward laugh and shrug.

“We’ll get there…” He tried to wave Tony off, but he only looked to be thinking harder.

“I fought with Rogers…Rogers…Rogers…” Tony kept repeating the name, trying to remember who he was and why he pissed him off so much in that memory. “Who is he?”

“Just one of the many people you forgot, Tones,” Rhodey tried to reassure him. “We’ll get to him like everyone else.”

“No, no he’s more important. I can feel it. He did something wrong…” Tony muttered, standing up and pacing. Rhodey gave an annoyed look to Thor who was pretending he wasn’t paying attention. “What’s his name?”

“Tony—”

“His name!” Tony begged, gripping his head.

“Steve Rogers,” Peter perked up. Everyone turned their heads towards the kid. Peter shrugged. Tony let go of his head and looked up.

“Yes. That’s it. He’s Captain America. How the hell do I know Captain America? What is he doing alive?” Tony asked, confused as hell. Peter laughed at the irony.

“Who are you to judge?” The boy teased, munching on his own slice of toast. Tony gave an amused look to Peter and shook his head.

“Can we look at some memories with him today? Where is he, anyway?”

“Tones, I really don’t think that would be a good idea,” Rhodey tried convincing him. No one else was trying anything. Rhodey looked at Wilson, giving him wide eyes and nodding his head towards Tony. Wilson sighed and took another sip of his orange juice.

“Yeah, Rhodey is probably right,” Wilson added in a fake enthusiastic voice. “You’ve got more important things to remember than him. He’s a _very_ small part of your life.”

“At least _try_ to sell it,” Carol mumbled under her breath.

“Strange probably won’t let you anyway. He hates the guy. Just another thing to add to his resumé of reasons why I should put him on the ‘Banned for Life’ list,” Wilson muttered.

“Guys,” Tony gained everyone’s attention by holding his hands up. “I know you’re trying to protect me. I appreciate it, but you’re only going to drive me crazier if you try to keep things from me.”

“We’re not trying to drive you crazy,” Nebula spoke up. It alarmed everyone, as she had been, more than usual, solemn and quiet. “We’re just trying to facilitate how you remember things, so it doesn’t get muddled. We don’t want you to go crazy on us.”

“What she said,” Rocket chimed in. Tony felt bad for demanding things when they were all trying to help. He nodded and sat back down. He must have had his puppy eyes on, because Pepper randomly sighed in defeat.

“Just one memory. We’ll debate later which one it is, but you deserve to know a little about who he is to you,” Pepper suggested not only to Tony, but to everyone in the room. She got a few nods and shrugs. “Alright. Meet at noon.”

 


	17. Dreamin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more memories, maybe even a few that aren't real. Some dots are connecting.

Tony was significantly shorter than he normally was, but it didn’t feel weird. He was supposed to be this height. He was walking through his house. Not his house with Pepper, it was his other home. It was his first home.

Tony was barefoot and running on the plush carpet than ran throughout the house. He was trying his best to be quiet for some reason. Oh yeah, he wasn’t supposed to be out of bed. He giggled to himself and wasn’t alarmed to hear that his voice was a higher pitch, like he was a child. He slowed down when he knew he was getting close to the sitting room. He giggled softly and peeked around the opening.

There was a woman playing the piano softly. Her fingers barely graced the keys as she delicately pressed them down into a soft melody. Now that Tony was closer, he could hear she was softly humming along. Tony tiptoed over until he could sit on the bench next to her.

“Why are you up, Bambino?” Tony’s mother whispered, not stopping her playing. He giggled and pounded on his lap excitedly. “It’s past your bedtime.”

“I wan’ play,” Tony squealed, holding out tiny hands towards the keys. His mother chuckled and pulled him onto her lap. He obediently let her guide his hands to the keys and pressed them down.

“You’re going to be a beautiful piano player, Bambino,” she whispered fondly. He smiled as he started to pick up the pattern she was playing with him. He moved his hands faster and was able to start playing by himself. He grinned wider as his mother cheered for him. He got faster, and he got louder without meaning to.

“Maria?” Tony froze on his mother’s lap. His dropped his hands as his mother turned her head to glance over her shoulder. “What is he doing up? Didn’t Jarvis put him to bed?”

“He heard me playing Howard,” Maria explained softly. She held Tony’s small hands in her own and rubbed his knuckles. “He’s getting good,” she added on hopefully.

“He doesn’t need to get good in the middle of the night,” Howard spat out bitterly. “It’s too loud. Put him to bed.” Tony heard footsteps getting farther and farther away. He turned around and wrapped his arms around his mother, burying his face into her neck. He could smell the flowery soap she liked to use.

* * *

 

Bucky was tossing haystacks when the princess of Wakanda walked up to him. She had a peaceful look on her face and had her hands clasped behind her back.

“Come to harass me about my arm again?” Bucky called out when he saw her.

“You enjoy my company,” Shuri insisted. “And no, I got a call from Wilson.” Bucky tensed up but didn’t respond. “Apparently the Guardians are back for a visit. He was just making us aware.”

“Cool. Why are you telling me?” Bucky asked, scared of the answer.

“Calm down. He just wanted me to say hello. I thought you might want to know about their visit.” Bucky shrugged,

“I didn’t know them that well.”

“Either way,” Shuri shrugged. “Nice to know what’s going on in the world. You isolate yourself.”

“That’s why I came to Wakanda,” Bucky pointed out. “Alone time.” Shuri watched as Bucky continued working for a few minutes. Eventually, Bucky went to feed some of the goats some of the locals gifted to him, welcoming him back. She mostly paid attention to the arm and how easily it moved, comparable to his flesh arm. She was impressed with herself.

“Is this about Rogers?” Shuri eventually spoke up. “You still haven’t talked about him or his disappearance.”

“I don’t need a shrink,” Bucky muttered, growing a bit irritated at the conversation. “I’m done with that stuff. I’ve recovered. You guys said I didn’t have to go back.”

“This isn’t about whether you’re going to get triggered again,” Shuri explained. “Speaking to a psychologist is a normal 21st century thing.” Bucky snorted.

“Well, I’m not normal.”

“Exactly. Your situation is unique. You should speak to someone about it. It’s been a few months and you still haven’t shown any signs that you’re going to stop isolating yourself. My brother and I grow worried.”

“You don’t need to. I’m fine.”

“We’ll get you one of the pretty ones if you agree,” Shuri teased. Bucky snorted despite his effort not to.

“I don’t know why you’re so convinced I spend my days womanizing.”

“You’ve got game old man. I heard from Rogers, while he was still around, about your game back in the day. I heard some of them talking about you.” Bucky laughed and shook his head.

“I’m too old for them.”

“Not biologically.” Shuri was satisfied she got him to smile in spite of himself. “I’m teasing, but you’ve made friends here. You should try talking to them. Play football with the kids. They like seeing how far you can kick it. It’s the least you can do to reassure us if you’re not going to talk to someone.” Bucky looked at her for a second before sighing and nodding.

“I’ll socialize if you quit botherin’ me," Bucky muttered. Shuri smiled.

“That’s the spirit."

* * *

 

Tony was scared again. He wasn’t in his suit, which is probably why he was on edge. He was walking in a dark place. He placed his hand on the wall and pushed. He had found a secret door. It only got creepier from there. He walked down the steps, because he couldn’t leave now. It was his job. He’d be fine.

There it was, exactly what they were looking for. Tony was entranced yet terrified of Loki’s scepter. He felt chills creep up his arm as he studied it. Then he was gone. Gone was the dark room and appearing was the dark sky. Aliens were flying overhead, and there was destruction everywhere. Oh god, what had he done?

There they were, the people from earlier. They were all dead. There was Bruce and Thor. He saw a blond guy he recognized and the redhead close by. They were all dead because of him. Tony got closer and was able to see Steve Rogers, his shield split in half beside him. It was his fault. He tried not to jump when Rogers suddenly jumped life, and he knew not to jump because he remembered that it was going to happen. He blocked out the words, because he already knew what Rogers was going to say.

Tony jumped awake. His hand immediately reached up to pull the frames off only to touch his own face. He wasn’t in the white room. He was in a bedroom. Pepper’s arm that had been wrapped around his torso was starting to move as he sat up.

“Tony? What’s wrong?” Pepper mumbled, still half asleep. “Did you have a bad dream?” The way she said it made Tony realize she’s asked this question before, probably a lot.

“Steve…Rogers,” Tony whispered, remembering how scared he was. Pepper sat up a bit, snuggling in closer to Tony’s chest.

“He can’t hurt you anymore, Tony,” she whispered back. Tony frowned. What was she talking about? He had hurt Steve. The words she whispered were familiar though, like everything else she said. She was his wife, but Tony was realizing almost every second how important she was in his life. “He’s gone. He can’t hurt you.”

“I hurt him. I killed him and all the other Avengers…” Pepper’s breath hitched when he said it. He didn’t even register that he said it. He was trying to figure out when this happened in his forgotten timeline.

“What do you remember?” Pepper asked. Tony shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

“It can’t be real. It was the apocalypse, so it couldn’t have been real. All the Avengers were dead, including Bruce, but Bruce is alive.”

“It wasn’t real,” Pepper confirmed.

“Then why do I remember it?”

“What else do you remember?” Pepper pushed a bit. She didn’t know what this was, and she was scared something was going very wrong in retrieving his memory.

“I was in a dark place. I walked down a passage and saw a scepter. It was Loki’s scepter,” Tony recounted.

“Did Loki do something to you?” Tony shook his head. He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. Pepper laced her fingers with his.

“No, it was someone else. I don’t remember who. I saw red, lots of red—”

“Like blood? Like someone dying?” Pepper’s voice got louder with worry.

“No, not like blood. Like tendrils. Like particles. It was…magic?” Pepper stared at Tony, rubbing her fingers over his knuckles. She snuggled closer to him and brought the duvet to their chests.

“Maximoff?” Pepper breathed out. Tony clenched up and nodded. “Do you remember her?”

“Kind of.” More than kind of, the memories started flooding in as soon as Pepper said her name. He could remember not Maximoff but Maximoffs plural. He remembered how angry they were at him. “What did I do to them?” Even in the dark, Tony could see Pepper’s nostrils flare and her frown deepen.

“Nothing.” Tony rolled his head away from her. “Hey. I’m not keeping anything from you. You didn’t do anything to her.”

“Then why do I feel so damn shitty?” Tony muttered.

“Because she made you feel like that,” Pepper explained. “It’s complicated, so don’t worry about it now. I swear you’ll get all your memories back eventually. Just don’t worry about it now. Go to sleep.”

“Tell me a good one then,” Tony pleaded. Pepper looked up at him.

“Tell you what?”

“A good one. A good memory.”

“But you won’t be able to see it.” Tony shrugged.

“Paint me a word picture.” He could feel Pepper smile against his chest. His chest shook a bit with laughter. “Please, anything. Tell me a bedtime story, Potts.”

“We used to live in Malibu. You had a mansion, a bit ostentatious but beautiful.”

“I think I remember it,” Tony mumbled. “It was by the ocean. I don’t like the ocean anymore.” He remembered falling into it, falling into darkness.

“It was Christmas. I was stressed enough as is, and you had the brilliant idea to get me the most outrageous present you could think of. Do you remember what it was?” Tony thought for a second.

“Was it that time I danced for you?” Pepper broke out into laughter at the entirely different memory that Tony brought up. Tony smiled at the way he managed to break Pepper down into mere giggles for a few minutes.

“No, that was way later. I think I was pregnant with Morgan when that happened,” Pepper explained when she caught her breath. Tony grinned and nodded. He knew that. He had felt her belly bump

“My bad.”

“It was a giant stuffed rabbit. It was sitting outside when I rolled up to the house.”

“Oh,” Tony said, remembering a bit of it. “Did you like it?” Pepper laughed again.

“I miss it. It was very you.”

“I’ll get you another one.”

“You got Morgan one. It was much smaller. I think it was her first Christmas. It’s probably buried underneath all the other toys you spoiled her with.”

“I’ll find it. We’ll tell her about it.” Tony took a deep breath and settled deeper into the pillows.

“Are you good?”

“More than good,” Tony answered drowsily. “I want to see Morgan.”

“Soon, Tony. I swear. She’s going to be so happy to see you.” It was quiet for a few moments. Pepper was drifting off to sleep, and she thought Tony was too based on how evenly his chest moved.

“Hey, Pep?” Tony asked softly, afraid he’d wake her up again.

“Yeah?”

“What happened to Loki?” Pepper frowned.

“Loki?”

“Thor’s brother. He did something with the cube and disappeared. What happened to him?” Tony sounded half asleep, and Pepper had no idea what he was talking about. He was probably dreaming again.

“Go to sleep Tony. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: Uh...Morgan.  
> Up Soon: Some wonky explanations


	18. Connections and Toast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange has some speculations. Tony sees his daughter and Happy. He relives a very familiar memory.

“I’d say you’re about halfway there,” Strange commented one morning as they were eating breakfast. “You know who you are along with many specific memories. Now we’re just working on filling in some of the gaps. It’s like putting a puzzle together.”

“So he’s okay?” Pepper asked.

“Okay is pretty relative. He’s more than okay regarding his health. He’s okay as far as his memories go. The whole situation, however, is less than ideal.”

“What does that mean?” Carol asked.

“It means that there is no immediate danger with Stark here. For now and for a while, it’ll mostly be using his own technology to help him out. You and the Guardians are free to leave knowing that. However, we still don’t know exactly why he’s here. You leaving Earth and keeping an eye out might benefit.”

“This was just your way of telling us the lease is up,” Quill muttered with a smile. Strange ignored him.

“So, what? Are we looking for infinity stones?” Carol prodded.

“That and anything pertaining to them. They’re supposed to be gone in our timeline, but it never hurts to check.” Carol nodded in agreement, but half of the Guardians, including Thor, looked less than enthusiastic about pursuing the stones once more. “It’s less than ideal, but it’s necessary if we want to end the problem and prevent any further ones.”

“Maybe Stark might remember something,” Nebula spoke up. They turned towards her sullen figure. “Maybe he knows something about how he got here and forgot along with everything else.” Strange shrugged.

“It would take some prodding to find out, but it’s possible. When do you want to start today, Stark?”

“Later,” Tony answered, making everyone wonder what he was planning on doing instead. “I’ve got an appointment.” He smiled.

* * *

 

Today was the first day since coming to Earth that Tony was able to leave the compound. Everyone had been too nervous before, too nervous that someone would see him. Plus, he hadn’t really been ready before. Though no one would say it, they were worried Tony would be too overwhelmed and have a meltdown of sorts. But now everyone recognized that it was necessary.

Tony had to get out eventually. Wilson was getting agitated as well. He couldn’t properly attend to his other duties while he was housing guests all the time where business was supposed to be conducted. Today would be the first day in the process of getting Tony secretly acclimated back into society. In a few days, the compound would be up and running with employees again.

Pepper was the one that drove them. She let the windows all the way down so Tony could feel the breeze that he didn’t cooped up inside all the time. She let some classic 80’s tunes play on the radio and laughed when Tony would start remembering the lyrics and singing along dramatically.

Eventually, Tony started to recognize the winding road they were driving down. He recognized the cottage the slowly drove up to. He shared a smile with Pepper before getting out of the car. He walked beside her and waited for her to unlock the door.

“They might still be asleep,” Pepper noted. “It’s still pretty early.” Pepper stepped into the house and left the door open so a breeze could flow through the house. Tony walked throughout the house, taking in everything slowly. He didn’t have to try to remember anything. This was his home. He picked up a picture frame in the kitchen, remembering the day he and Peter took that photo. They had worked on Peter’s suit that day.

“You’re supposed to ring the doorbell. How else am I supposed to know you’re not a burglar?” Tony heard Happy’s voice from the other room.

“Ring the doorbell to my own house, Happy?” Pepper responded. Tony heard their footsteps get closer until they were walking into the kitchen. Tony turned to see Happy looking at him dumbfoundedly.

“Don’t get all mushy on me, Happy,” Tony joked once he saw his eyes get a little glassy.

“I’m sorry, I just…” Tony wrapped his arms around him. “I believed Pepper when she told me. It’s just so different to actually see it.” Happy stepped back and looked Tony up and down, shaking his head with a smile on his face. “The beard looks good.” Tony’s hand went up to his face automatically to rub at it.

“Yeah, I forgot to shave. Haven’t been out much, you know?” Happy nodded tearfully.

“Morgan’s still asleep. Do you know what you’re going to tell her?”

“No idea,” Tony muttered. Pepper narrowed his eyes at him.

“I thought you were prepared.”

“Yeah, like, emotionally.” Pepper rolled her eyes and went to make herself a cup of coffee. “What am I supposed to say Pepper? Why don’t you say something?”

“Because you have to do things on your own terms,” Pepper explained. “Morgan would be able to tell something is wrong if I talked and explained everything for you.”

“Something is wrong,” Tony scoffed, gesturing to himself. “I’m supposed to burned up and six feet under.” Pepper flinched softly.

“Don’t, Tony.” Tony sighed and muttered an apology under his breath. “Morgan isn’t stupid. She knows you’re dead, but she’s still so young. I don’t know how you’re going to explain it—” Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when they heard the patter of small feet. Morgan came bounding into the kitchen still in her pajamas with her hair unbrushed. No one said a word as she sat at the kitchen counter. She swung her legs back and forth and patted her palms onto the counter like she was waiting.

“Hey, baby,” Pepper called softly. Morgan smiled at her and continued to pat that counter, creating a rhythm of sorts.

“I want toast, Mommy,” Morgan requested. Pepper shared an incredulous look with Tony and Happy. The three of them stared wide-eyed at each other for a few seconds, each shrugging and mouthing words that no one could understand. Finally, Tony sighed and moved to get bread from the breadbox and popped it into the toaster. He turned and looked at Morgan, who had been watching him with delight.

“Hey, Mor,” Tony whispered. Morgan grinned and bit her lip. “Remember me?”

“Of course I do, silly. You were gone,” Morgan pointed out. Tony nodded slowly, throwing a glance at Pepper.

“Yeah, I was gone. I was supposed to be gone permanently.”

“Mommy said you died,” Morgan said. She had a frown on her face like she was thinking.

“I did.”

“But you’re here. That’s not supposed to happen.” Tony chuckled softly.

“No, it’s not.” Morgan continued to frown and stare at him. She stood up in the stool. Tony didn’t move as Morgan reached over the counter and touched his face.

“Are you real?”

“Very real.” The toast popped out of the toaster, and Morgan turned her attention towards it. She glanced at him before pointing at the toaster.

“It’s done.” Tony smiled and walked over to it. He grabbed a plate out of the cabinet on the first try and laid the pieces onto it. He grabbed the jar of cherry jam he knew she liked and swiped it onto the bread. He slid the plate across the counter and rested his elbows onto the surface. “Thank you.”

“No problem, baby.” Tony looked at Pepper, who had tearfully watched the exchange. Pepper grabbed another mug and fixed Tony a cup of coffee like she used to. Happy sat next to Morgan, asking her if she was going to share. For the first time in a long time, Tony had peace of mind.

* * *

 

“Freeze! Don’t. Move.” Tony immediately looked up when he heard a voice. He wasn’t the least bit worried when he saw a kid with a potato gun. He held his hands up.

“You got me,” he relented. “Nice potato gun. Barrel’s a little long. Between that and the wide gauge, you’re going to diminish your—” The kid pointed the gun up and shot at a jar sitting higher up in the shed. Glass shattered and hit the floor. Tony dropped his hands. “And now you’re out of ammo.”

“What’s that thing on your chest?” The kid asked, not dropping his aim.

“It’s a…electromagnet. You should know. You have a box of them right here.”

“What does it power?” Tony leaned away and shined the light at the powerless suit sitting on the couch. The kid dropped the gun and got very excited.

“Is that Iron Man?” Harley asked. Tony could remember that much. He wasn’t just ‘the kid.’ They were connected.

“Technically, I am,” Tony corrected.

“Technically, you’re dead.” There was a lot of irony in this situation, Tony realized, except he hadn’t really died because of the Mandarin.

He didn’t really need B.A.R.F. to remind him what went down with the Mandarin. Tony’s Malibu home had been attacked and destroyed. Tony had fell into the ocean, and JARVIS had to pull him out. He met Harley and had to fight without the suit. He was thought to have been dead, but apparently that hadn’t caused a panic in anyone except Pepper. His heart clenched when he remembered how he almost lost Pepper, and he was thankful that Strange wasn’t making him see that again.

Tony reached up and took off the frames. He rubbed his eyes as the scene disappeared and he was back in that white room. He heard Strange’s voice ring out.

“You alright, Stark?”

“Yeah, it’s just…” Tony stopped rubbing his eyes and blinked them open to get used to the brighter light. “I remember it all. I didn’t want to sit through it again.” Tony exited the room where Pepper was waiting for him.

“You didn’t tell me you broke into the boy’s shed.”

“It was probably the best day of his life, it’s fine,” Tony responded. Pepper rolled his eyes and pecked his cheek.

“You got through that one quickly. Do you remember the entire ordeal?”

“More than I’d like to,” Tony answered honestly. Pepper could tell what he was remembering, so she just rubbed his shoulder and dropped the topic. “I saw Harley, and things just started falling into place. Is it supposed to be like that? Everything just gets easier and easier to remember.”

“Life is interconnected in that way,” Strange answered as he exited the room. “It’s hard to recall some things and not others, especially when one leads you to another. When you put together a puzzle and notice that pieces are missing, it’s not very difficult to guess what belongs in those places.”

“You’re really going to run that puzzle analogy dry, aren’t you?” Tony muttered. Strange hummed. “Hey, thank you for doing this. You could’ve abandoned me as soon as you knew I wasn’t a threat. So thank you.”

“Actually, I couldn’t. Threat isn’t a yes or no question. It could always change.” Tony grimaced, starting to remember their first meeting and fights in space. He could get why Wilson was so peeved all the time. “You’re welcome,” Strange added softly, leaving the two of them alone.

“I think you’re making him soft,” Pepper mumbled. “Sam will be pleased.” Tony snorted.

“You form a strong one-way bond when you get to sit and watch every aspect of someone’s life. Maybe we’d grow closer if he returned the favor.”

“Not every aspect. He didn’t know you well before. Now he sees all the selfless things you done. Though, I guess he knows you have no self-preservation.” Tony barked out a laugh at Pepper’s tone.

“And all the bad things.”

“I’m sure he’s done plenty of stupid things.” Tony sighed.

“Can we stop talking about this like it really matters whether Strange becomes my BFF or not.” Pepper’s smile dropped. She studied Tony, trying to figure out the reason for his sudden mood drop.

“What’s wrong? Is the whole reliving your memories things becoming less about remembering and more about not being able to escape your past?” Tony’s jaw dropped as he looked at her.

“How did you put that together so fast?”

“You’re more yourself than ever before. I can stop talking to you like you’re some stranger harboring the memories of Tony Stark now. When you took off the glasses, I knew you had been reliving more than you had been remembering.” Pepper was looking at him sympathetically. “We’ve all got bad memories Tony, things we aren’t proud of. We can stop. You don’t have to do this anymore.”

“Not yet,” Tony muttered regretfully. “There’s a few more things that need to be cleared up, things that you, Rhodey, or Happy can tell me.” Pepper nodded thoughtfully. “Where is Harley?” Pepper’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Um, back in Tennessee, I think. He might be old enough to be going to college soon. He attended your funeral.” Tony hummed when he heard the last part. He had a feeling of such. “Why?”

“Nothing, just thinking about my connections and all…” Pepper immediately knew that was bullshit.

“You want to meet him, don’t you?” Tony pursed his lips. “Is that wise? I mean, we still don’t know how we’re going to tell the public or the government about you.”

“This is Harley, not the secretary of state. He deserves to know I’m alive before millions of people I don’t care about do.” Pepper looked like she wanted to argue, but she kept her mouth closed. “I’m sorry. I know it’s stressful.”

“Don’t you ever apologize for being alive, Tony,” Pepper demanded. She pecked him on the lips. “I’ll see what I can do. In the meanwhile, get ready to move back home. Wilson is getting antsy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up Next: Some more Peter and a teaser for the last third of this story.


	19. He's Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter admits some stuff. Tony talks with his family. Someone wakes up.

“What are you hiding, Peter?” MJ asked once Peter had closed his locker. Peter jumped in alarm.

“What?”

“You’re distracted. Again. It’s getting old.” Peter chuckled nervously.

“I’m a teenager, MJ. That’s what we do.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’re not just any teenager.” Peter glared at her playfully.

“I regret telling you that,” he muttered.

“You didn’t tell me. I figured it out.” Peter rolled his eyes. He saw Ned walking towards him and nodded his head in greeting.

“Are you interrogating Peter? Can I help? He’s been acting weird.” Peter scoffed.

“I’m not weird. I’m fine!”

“Yes,” MJ answered Ned, ignoring Peter. “You are weird, and you’ve been acting weird.” MJ paused, looking Peter up and down. “Not in a bad way, though.”

“Oh, I’m acting weird in a good way. Thanks for that.” Peter started walking to class with MJ and Ned beside him.

“Did something happen? Did you get some good news?” MJ interrogated. Peter shrugged.

“I’m just in a good mood…lately.” Ned snorted, and Peter threw a glare at him. “I’m serious.”

“We’re glad you’re doing good,” MJ relented. “But you know you can tell us anything.” Peter paused. Ned and MJ knew almost if not everything about him. Peter jumped when the bell rang, indicating that they were late for class. “What’s wrong?”

Peter looked up at MJ and Ned, who were both giving him worried looks. The hallways were empty. Peter scratched the back of his head. He was having an internal debate with himself, and his friends could see that clearly.

“Do you need to go home?” Ned asked softly. Peter shook his head.

“No. It’s just… You guys are going to think I’m crazy,” Peter whispered. MJ looked around, suddenly realizing how sensitive the topic was. She looked at Ned and nodded towards the doors. “Are you trying to ditch school?”

“There’s clearly more important things to worry about.”

“You can’t just—” Peter cut himself off when MJ pushed the doors open, exiting the school. Ned and Peter looked at each other, both with eyes wide and mouth agape. Ned shrugged and followed MJ. “Ned, what—ugh!” Peter begrudgingly followed them. Aunt May was going to be pissed.

Peter jammed the key into the lock and opened the front door. He waited until MJ and Ned were through the door before shutting it behind him.

“Why do we have to have to commit the crime at my house,” Peter grumbled. “I don’t condone illegal activity!”

“You’re a vigilante in your free time, Pete,” Ned pointed out, making himself comfortable on the couch. MJ came back from the kitchen with a glass of lemonade.

“Actually, I’m an Avenger now,” Peter snarked. Peter plopped down beside Ned while MJ placed herself in the armchair.

“Speaking of Avengers, what’s going on?” MJ asked, squinting at him like she liked to do when scrutinizing him.

“What are you talking about?” Peter said unconvincingly. “There’s nothing going on with the Avengers.”

“Oh, my god! There’s something going on with the Avengers!” Ned squealed. Peter shook his head.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Peter denied waving his hands as if it would erase the problem. Ned’s excitement didn’t cease. Peter scowled at MJ who looked amused.

“You can’t stop this unless you give him something, Peter. You know this.” Peter stood up, stressed out all of a sudden. He gripped his hair tightly and scrunched up his face. He was pacing around the living room while MJ and Ned stared at him.

“Peter—”

“Tony is alive,” Peter interrupted. No one said anything. Peter had his back to them and was afraid to turn around and see their reactions. “Mr. Stark. I’m not crazy. I’m not. I know you guys worry about me, but I’m not crazy. I went to the compound. I saw him. I talked to him. Mr.—Tony is alive.” Peter said it like he was convincing himself, but he knew Tony was alive. He had hugged the man. He had lost his memory, but he remembered Peter.

“Peter?” Ned called out nervously. Peter turned around. He expected them to be looking at him like he was crazy, but they were staring at him with complete and utter shock on their faces. “Tony Stark is alive?”

“How?” MJ whispered.

“I don’t know,” Peter responded. “Something to do with…what happened before.” They knew what he was talking about. “He doesn’t have all his memories, or, well, he didn’t. He might have them now, but I haven’t seen him in a while.” Peter’s hands were shaking, and he couldn’t figure out why. He wasn’t just now figuring this out. He’s known this. Somehow, telling them resurfaced the memories of when he found out.

Peter hadn’t even noticed MJ stand up, but now she had his arms around him. Peter wasn’t crying, but he wrapped his arms around her anyway. She didn’t really know what to say. There were all kinds of phrases and euphemisms for when people died. What do you say to a person who’s found out someone they loved is came back? MJ rubbed his back, hoping he’d stop shaking. Ned stood up and wrapped his arms around both of them.

“Everything is going to be alright.”

* * *

 

“Why don’t you,” Rhodey pointed his fork at Tony, who was sitting across from him at the dinner table, “tell us about some of your space adventures.” They were chowing down on some sort of fancy salmon dish Pepper made. Tony hummed and stuffed another bite into his mouth.

“Oh, god, was it bad?” Pepper asked, scared by Tony’s uninterested reaction. “Is it going to trigger—”

“What? No. Pepper, no. It wasn’t that bad. I’m not going to be triggered into some sort of…” Tony sighed and waved his fork around. “Episode.” Rhodey grinned.

“Great. What happened.” Tony glared at him.

“You went to space, Daddy?” Morgan piped up, happily eating macaroni and broccoli. Tony cringed and looked at Rhodey, looking at him with wide eyes that said, “look what you’ve done.” Rhodey only grinned wider.

“Yes, he did, and Uncle Rhodey is very excited to hear about it.” Tony looked at Happy, pleading for help, but the man wasn’t paying them a lick of attention. Tony looked at Pepper, but she only looked worried. Tony held back a sigh, knowing that Pepper would only grow more worried and think something bad happened if he didn’t say anything.

“I woke up on this rural planet—”

“What was it called?” Morgan piped up. Tony forced a smile.

“Yundar.”

“Sounds made up,” Rhodey snarked.

“All words are made up,” Tony snarked back. Rhodey laughed and gestured for him to continue.

“I met this girl, uh, Dalia.”

“Was she alien?” Tony snorted.

“Technically, yes. She wasn’t from Earth.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t know. She looked human.” Tony cleared his throat. “I got a ride with her to this bigger planet called Xandar. It was amazing. I can’t even to begin to describe the kinds of people there.”

“Was it pretty?” Morgan asked.

“Gorgeous. I split ways with Dalia. I, uh…” They all got a lot more interested when they saw Tony’s frown. He was thinking deeply about something. “There were pictures of me, of the Iron Man mask, I mean. They were everywhere.”

“Bullshit,” Rhodey exclaimed. Pepper gave him an irritated look, and he looked back at her sheepishly. “You’re full of crap. You’re telling me you’re famous on a completely different planet.”

“In the galaxy, actually,” Tony corrected quietly. “Word got around that I helped destroy Thanos, so…” Rhodey scoffed.

“What are we, chopped liver?” Tony clicked his tongue and shrugged.

“Maybe it’s because they recognize I’m superior—” the table groaned as Tony grinned, “and I also took out Thanos’ army in New York, 2012, in case you forgot.”

“No one forgot,” Pepper chided. Tony looked at her guiltily, remembering how much she struggled with the fact that she missed his call.

“Anyways. I got a job and built the pod.”

“Only you,” Rhodey muttered.

“Uh, the Guardians tried to kill me, or, at least, it looked like they were. They were on Xandar at the same time. I had just finished my pod, so I ran. I needed to recharge, so I landed on the nearest surface, which turned out to be secret. I was taken prisoner until I was found by Carol. Here I am. Not that exciting.”

“You used to be a better storyteller,” Happy said, giving indication that he had been paying attention.

“Used to be a lot of things,” Tony said, standing up. He put his plate in the sink and leaned on the counter. “Where is my pod?”

“Still at the compound,” Rhodey answered. “Probably collecting dust, since no one’s touched it since.”

“Good.”

“You bring back some cool alien technology for us to get our hands on?” Tony coughed and glanced at Pepper, making Rhodey look over at her too. She was giving both of them an unamused look. Rhodey gave her a sheepish smile. Pepper cleaned up the rest of the plates and put them in the sink. She motioned for Morgan to head upstairs for her bath. Rhodey turned back towards Tony and raised his eyebrows. Tony grinned.

“I brought back this, metal. Foreign element.”

“Oh, something not on the periodic table?” Tony laughed.

“Rhodey I am way beyond the periodic table.” Tony threw his hands up and leaned back. “It’s called Gracium. It’s valuable as shit on this side of the, um, universe.”

“No shit? What does it do?”

“I don’t know yet. It was the most reliable thing to build to pod with, so I went for it. Carol told me it’s more valuable than vibranium.” Rhodey scoffed.

“Of course it’s more valuable than vibranium. It came from space. It could the most useless element ever and still be more valuable. How much do you have?”

“A block. I don’t know how many grams. That, and the entire ship is an alloy.” Rhodey smiled into his fist. “Yeah, nerd out.”

“What are you going to do with it?” Tony looked down at his hands. He tapped each finger on the counter.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gotten my hands on a suit.” The grin on Rhodey’s face fell. Tony bit his lip.

“Pepper’s not going to like it.”

“Don’t tell her?” Tony whispered with a grin. Rhodey groaned. He stopped to look at Tony and then groaned again.

“Are you kidding? Do you even remember how to—”

“I can make a suit in my sleep. I recreated the arc reactor without even knowing what I was doing.”

“Tones, you don’t need it,” Rhodey whispered, suddenly aware that their conversation could be overheard.

“You don’t know what I need,” Tony growled out. He tossed one of his hands in the air. “I’m supposed to be dead, and I don’t need it?”

“That’s different. You know that’s different.” Tony ran a hand over his face.

“Yeah, I know. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m back to fucking life. Who knows what’s out there? Strange thinks we’re going to be dealing with something soon.”

“He didn’t say that.”

“He implied it.” Tony looked frustrated. He came and sat next to Rhodey. “I’m not going to go putting out fires, okay? I just want to work with the Gracium and see what it can do. Let me do this.” Rhodey rolled his eyes and zipped his lips closed, throwing away the key. “Nerd.”

“No, best friend,” Rhodey corrected. “Constantly covering for your ass.”

* * *

 

It was dark and cold in the woods. The cold, oh, god, the cold. It made him freeze in fear. Why was it so cold? Where was he? He just wanted to go home.

He let out a sob and sit up. He was surrounded by trees, not water. He stood up and tried to figure out where he was. He yelled out for help, but all he could hear was his own voice echoing throughout the night. He looked around and realized he could see a light in the distance, shining brightly over the trees.

He had nothing better to do, so Steve Rogers started walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how this affects everyone's theories for what's going on, but there's the teaser.  
> Not to throw you off the trail of what's going on, but the Gracium is entirely self-indulgent, with me wanting to keep his space adventures involved while getting back into the groove of Iron Man.


	20. Another One?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has another dream. Bucky has some suspicions. Sam finds someone by the compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That team Iron Man tag starts to come into play, just fyi. No bashing, though.

When Tony woke up, he remembered why he was scared of Rogers. He was also angry that everyone neglected to tell him about Barnes. When he found out about is parents being dead, he had deduced that it must have been a long time ago. Eventually, he remembered the car crash. He remembered getting shit-faced, because he was so distraught and pissed off at his pops.

Tony went to sleep that night with Pepper burying her face into his chest. He was in his own bed, and it was bringing back warm memories. He remembered the first time they bought the house and the first time they stayed in it. He remembered bringing Morgan home for the first time and not wanting to ever put her down. Pepper told him he would spoil her, and Tony replied with a promise to.

His warm, fuzzy feelings turned dark, and he felt cold. He was in a suit, one of his older models. He specifically remembers watching the grainy video of the Winter Soldier going up and choking his mom out, all while the killer himself was right next to him.

“It wasn’t him,” Rogers had said. Did he think he didn’t know that? He wasn’t stupid. He was pissed. Tony had realized that almost immediately, and that only made him angrier. Suddenly he wasn’t allowed to be upset about his parents’ deaths because the murderer was out of his mind. He was just supposed to walk away and pay for the man’s wellbeing.

That’s not what Tony remembered the most. What he remembered the most was that look Rogers gave him, like he wasn’t concerned about how Tony felt but about what he was going to do. He looked at him like he was a threat, like one of the many villains they faced together. He looked him straight in the face and lied before finally admitting that he knew. Probably wasn’t his best moment when he punched him in the face.

The fight blurred. Tony thought it was about to end with him on top when Barnes grabbed him. Rogers got him down and slammed the shield into him over and over, the _vibranium_ shield. He broke off the faceplate and slammed the shield into the arc reactor.

He was himself in the dream. He was the one laying in Siberia with the Captain America shield lying next to him. He was looking up with tears in his eyes. Then he remembered the Gracium. If his suit was made out of it, Rogers and Barnes wouldn’t have stood a chance. The thought sent chills throughout his body. Tony woke up and sat straight up.

“Tony?” Pepper mumbled in her half-asleep state. Tony rubbed her shoulder, willing her to go back to sleep. She didn’t move, but Tony had to make sure.

“I’m going to get a drink,” he whispered. Pepper gave no response. He figured it was safe. Tony went to the basement. He switched on the lights and blink as the familiar workshop. It was dusty, which didn’t surprise him. Everything was exactly how he left it. Tony ran his hands over some of the cold, metal surfaces.

“Good evening, Boss,” FRIDAY chimed. Tony chuckled.

“Miss me?”

“Always, Boss.”

“Who’s been in here besides me?” Tony asked, bringing up some holograms that held blueprints for his last suit. On a table in the corner, Tony could see the arc reactor that hosted the suit Tony took with him to battle. It wasn’t dirty except for a few fingerprints.

“No one except Colonel Rhodes, who dropped off the Gracium you requested.”

“Good. Let’s get to work.”

* * *

 

“Don’t you guys have something better to do than bothering me again?” Bucky asked, walking behind Shuri.

“I thought that it was your arm bothering you, not us?” Shuri pointed out with a smile. Bucky narrowed her eyes at her.

“Kids used to respect their elders back in the day.”

“Don’t worry, Sergeant Barnes, we know you’re still learning,” she snarked. She gestured for Bucky to sit in a chair in the workshop. Holograms popped up around him as she started to diagnose the problem.

“How did you find out anyway?”

“One of your neighbors saw you flinching every time you moved it. They said it was probably damaged when you helped get their truck out of a ditch. Very kind of you, and also the most probable reason.”

“It’s not just faulty wiring or something?” Shuri gave him a deadpan look.

“‘Faulty wiring.’ I’m insulted. I thought you knew me and my skills better than that.”

“So it has to be my fault, because your tech is too good?”

“Precisely. Lift it up, please.” Bucky did as requested. It was silent while she worked.

“Have you heard from Sam?”

“Wilson has not called in a while, actually. T’Challa was meaning to make some calls.”

“Why?”

“We think the Guardians and Carol Danvers have left Earth again, but Wilson did not call to confirm this. These are not things one easily forgets to mention.”

“So what, you’re saying he’s hiding something?” Shuri raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“That’s not what I’m saying. Is that what you think?” Bucky hesitated. “My theory was that Wilson was distracted with his new Avengers position. We thought we’d call to try to relieve some of the stress placed on his shoulders. After all, we can’t afford for him to start forgetting stuff. You drew a different conclusion. Why?”

“Sam’s not one to forget easily, unless he’s just trying to avoid mentioning the thing all together.”

“What could it be that would involve the Guardians?” Bucky shrugged, earning a glare from Shuri who had flinched back in an effort not to make a mistake. He gave her an apologetic grin. “You suggest that I should tell my brother this?”

“I don’t know, and, no offense, I don’t really care.”

“I thought you promised to be there for Wilson.”

“I didn’t promise. I said I’d consider it, and then I ended up in Wakanda. Shit happens. Plus, he hasn’t called me for help.”

“Maybe he’s hiding something from you and not us,” Shuri suggested. She dropped her arms and waved the holograms away. “You’re good. Do you want to stay and call Wilson?”

“He has my number,” Bucky muttered. He waved a hand as goodbye. He knew the way out.

* * *

 

“This is slick, man,” Rhodey complimented with wide eyes as he looked over Tony’s latest creation. Tony snorted.

“It looks the same as the others,” Tony pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s alien. I don’t, there’s just something about it that makes it cooler.”

“You’re a nerd.” Rhodey rolled his eyes and stood up back up.

“When’s mine going to get done?” Rhodey teased.

“Whenever you feel like taking the trip to get some more from the other side of the damn universe.”

“Don’t be like that. You have an entire ship of the stuff.”

“And I’ve got plans for it!” Tony asserted, pointing a finger at Rhodey that said ‘keep your paws off.’

“So selfish.”

“Your armor is more heavyweight anyway. Gracium is more lightweight and versatile.”

“But stronger than vibranium,” Rhodey reminded him for what had to be the fiftieth time.

“What do you need to be stronger than vibranium for?”

“What do you need it for?” Rhodey retaliated. Tony waved his hand dismissively, not telling him about how often he imagined Roger’s shield slamming into his chest. Wilson had it now, and Rogers was gone, but the memory wouldn’t leave him. Rhodey fell silent and took a few moments to think before something clicked. “You’re using it for the spider kid, aren’t you?” Tony scoffed. “You are!”

“So what if I am? He needs more protection!” Tony confessed.

“Over your own best friend,” Rhodey said dramatically, no real fire behind the words.

“He gets himself in a lot more trouble on a daily basis than you. He needs it. His attackers will never know what hit him.”

“Still, that’s a lot for tiny there. What about the rest?”

“Well, Rescue could always be improved…” Rhodey barked out a laugh. Tony glared at him.

“Pepper closed that door as soon as you died.”

“Not really.” Rhodey gave him a deadpan look. “I’m serious. That door will never be locked now that we have Morgan.”

“I doubt she’ll get in any amount of trouble that’ll require Rescue.”

“She didn’t anticipate the battle with Thanos, yet there he was.”

“You expecting him to come back?” Rhodey said, his voice a lot lower and more serious.

“No, it’s just an example. Whatever. I don’t need to explain my reasoning to you. I just want the option there.” Rhodey held his hands up in defeat.

“That’s fine. Just make sure she’s knows I had nothing to do with it.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“Wimp.”

“I’m a survivor.” Tony went to look at some blueprints. Rhodey was about to make himself scarce when his phone started ringing. He took a glance at it and groaned. Tony glanced at him for a second before going back to his work. Rhodey answered Wilson’s call. “What?”

“Damn, what’s up your ass?” Wilson asked. “Hello to you, too.”

“Did you need something?” He heard Wilson sigh from the other side of the line.

“It’s not really something I can explain on the phone…”

“Oh, great. It’s another Tony Stark, isn’t it?” Tony looked up in confusion. Rhodey rolled his eyes and waved his hand to indicate he was joking around.

“Ha ha…” Wilson trailed off pretty quickly. Rhodey heard him clear his throat. “Can you just get here? Please?”

“Is it that important? Why can’t you call Strange or Bruce?”

“I did.” Rhodey’s stomach dropped. It couldn’t be that serious. How much worse could things get after Tony Stark randomly being alive?

“Do I need to bring—” Rhodey whispered.

“No! Don’t bring Stark, either of the Starks. Not yet. Just get here as soon as you can.”

“I’m on my way.”

* * *

 

“Mr. Wilson, there’s someone approaching the compound.” Wilson struggle to contain his groan and closed out the tabs on his computer. He had built up quite the collection of emails and was tempted to just delete them all and deal with the consequences later. He was preparing the bring the employees back in just a couple days with cleaners coming in tomorrow to get the place ready for business again.

“Who? Who the hell is bothering me now?” Wilson muttered, standing up. Wilson went downstairs to the lobby. He had to turn the lights on since he had everything shut down before, planning to go to bed as soon as he looked over a few emails. Through the glass doors and floor to ceiling windows, Wilson could see a dark figure in the distance.

“Oh, shit, Friday. Is someone trying to kill me?” Wilson muttered, ready to go grab some armor.

“They appear to be unarmed. Should I call the authorities?”

“Wait a second,” Wilson muttered, waiting for whoever it was to get closer to the compound and to the light. Eventually, light started to wash over the figure. Wilson felt his jaw drop. “Oh, what the hell?” Wilson opened the glass doors and ran out.

It was cold, and Wilson was half scared to death being on this plot of land alone, a scary figure walking up in the middle of the night sure didn’t help. Wilson was running, because this couldn’t be possible.

“Steve?” The figure looked up at him. Wilson had no doubt in his mind that he was looking into the blue eyes of Steve Rogers.

“Yes, hello?” Steve called out, reaching his hand out. “I don’t know where I am.” Wilson let out a breath he had been holding in.

“You’re at the compound, man.” Steve looked confused and stared at Wilson as he clapped a hand on his shoulder. “What the hell are you doing back? Doesn’t that fuck with the timeline?” Steve frowned even further.

“Excuse me?” Wilson frowned back. What was wrong with him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.” Wilson dropped his hand and backed away a little, shaking his head nervously.

“I swear to god, if you’re some sort of alien that followed Stark home, I’m killing him,” Wilson muttered.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Steve started walking towards Wilson, who held his hand up to stop him.

“Easy, soldier. Tell me your name and the last thing you remember.”

“Steve Rogers, sir. I remember hitting water, so I’m a little confused as to why I’m in the woods,” Steve answered with a chuckle. Wilson choked on his spit in disbelief. How the hell. Oh great, he was going to have to call Strange _again_.

“Steve Rogers, I’m Sam Wilson. I’d like you to come with me, please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious.  
> Up Next: People trying to figure out what's going on.


	21. No Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange finds out. They don't know what's going on. Wakanda is clued it.

Strange breathed in deeply when he got a call on his phone. He didn’t use his phone often, so there were few possibilities as to who it could be.

“What’s wrong this time?” Strange answered.

“Why do you assume something’s wrong?” Wilson muttered back.

“You’re not fond of me, so I assume I’m the last person you’d call. This is an emergency. What is it? Is it Stark?”

“No. I mean, I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” Strange repeated patronizingly. He could practically hear Wilson rolling his eyes in anger.

“Portal over here or whatever the hell you do. It will take you all of two fucking seconds,” Wilson barked. Strange hung up, laughing to himself as he imagined the look on Wilson’s face. He stood up and stretched his back a little. Wilson was lucky Strange was even awake this late at night. In a few seconds, he had a portal to the compound he was able to step through.

Wilson jumped when he heard Strange land on floor. He turned with a hand to his chest, trying to calm himself back down. Strange didn’t look amused but instead looked a bit tired. He was still in his usual robes, which made Wilson think the man must have already been awake unless he slept in the things.

“What’s the problem? You looked unharmed.” Wilson glared at him before nodding down the hallway, gesturing for Strange to follow him. The compound was still empty, Strange noticed. He didn’t hear anybody or anything else except their own footsteps echoing. “Aren’t the employees returning to work in a couple days?” Wilson groaned.

“Shit, I forgot about that. I’m going to have to call them off again or delay them for another day.” Strange raised his eyebrows at how flustered Wilson seemed. He seemed more than eager to get everyone back to work. What could be big enough outside of Stark that would require him delaying the entire operation?

Wilson used a key card to let them into a restricted area. He took them into a room that heavily resembled the one Strange controlled while he was helping Stark with the B.A.R.F. technology.

“Did Stark have an episode?” Strange guessed. Wilson ignored him. He went over to the control panel on the wall. Immediately, the window in front of the control panel changed from its opaque state to clear. Strange was able to make out Steve Rogers angrily sitting on the bed in the white room. “That’s Rogers.”

“Yep.”

“What’s he doing here?” Wilson threw his hands up into the air angrily.

“I don’t know. He showed up in the woods, walked over here, and, get this, doesn’t remember anything.”

“Anything?” Strange repeated, feeling déjà vu. Wilson caught his mistake.

“Okay, not anything. He doesn’t remember me or the compound. He doesn’t remember the Avengers. I don’t think he remembers anything about the 21st century.” Strange scoffed and looked at the man through the glass again.

“And what led you to that conclusion? Did you interrogate him further? How do we even know this is really Steve Rogers?”

“That’s why you’re here, asshole. I don’t.”

“How’d you get him in here? He looks angry.” Wilson snorted.

“Probably because I tricked him into it. I know enough about him. He follows military authority pretty well. Told him my rank and experience and how important it was that he follow me. Agent Peggy was waiting for him.” Strange whistled.

“Low blow.” Wilson laughed.

“I know, right?” Wilson said, ignoring the fact that he got along with Strange for all of two seconds. “Anyway, he came right away at the sound of her name, totally ignoring that there was no one in the building except me. I led him here and called you. I’ll call Rhodey and the others tomorrow.”

“Why do you have this, anyway? Is it a cell?”

“It’s for enhanced individuals, in case something goes wrong. Stark had it in the original blueprints. I just kept it when rebuilding. Came in handy, didn’t it?”

“Have you spoken with him any further since trapping him?”

“Nope. Called you. I figured it probably wasn’t the best idea to have an enhanced individual with no memory of me or, possibly, an alien out to get something alone in the compound with me.”

“Smart, and you’re right. You probably will want to put off the employees for a day or two.”

* * *

 

Rhodey pulled up to the compound slowly. It was still early morning, since he came as soon as Wilson had called. He was surprised when he didn’t see signs of anybody else. He had expected a few people around to get the compound in order, but it was as bare as it had always been these past few days. He stepped out of the car cautiously and entered the compound. He greeted FRIDAY, expecting Wilson to come bounding into the lobby at any moment, but FRIDAY indicated that he should make his way to the control rooms.

Rhodey opened the door when he figured out which control room he was supposed to be in. Wilson, Strange, and Bruce all turned around when he answered. Rhodey coughed nervously and waved.

“What’s going on?” Rhodey asked. No one answered. No one needed to, because Rhodey immediately looked up and saw Steve Rogers. “What the hell?”

“Nice of you to come,” Wilson said, giving the man a weak handshake since Rhodey was distracted.

“Don’t tell me that’s actually Steve Rogers.”

“In the flesh,” Strange answered.

“One of a kind, sadly,” Bruce muttered. “Tested his DNA, and Strange worked his magic.”

“Sadly?”

“He lost his memory, just like Stark,” Strange answered. Rhodey looked at all three of them, waiting for one to say it was a joke. He looked back at Rogers who looked angry to be held in that white room.

“But, he’s here. How did he get here?”

“He woke up not too far from here,” Wilson answered. “He walked here, and I trapped him in there. He still thinks it’s 1945.”

“So he didn’t forget everything like Tony?" They all shook their heads. “Well, that’s better, right?”

“Better?” Strange scoffed. “Of course it’s not better. We’re dealing with another amnesiac who’s supposed to be _not here_. There’s something wrong.”

“But it’s only Steve and Tony, right?” Rhodey asked. “There aren’t any cases about random people popping up all over the world?” Bruce shook his head.

“FRIDAY checked. Nothing’s come up.”

“Then we’re dealing with something specific,” Rhodey reasoned. “We thought Tony’s situation had to do with the stones. What about Steve’s?” Strange shrugged.

“No clue, unless you’ve all hidden information that indicates Rogers has wielded the stones at one point.” Rhodey shook his head.

“Just Thanos, Tony, and Bruce.” They all threw a glance at Bruce who chuckled nervously.

“It wasn’t me, guys,” Bruce said. Wilson waved him off.

“We know that, and that’s not all the information,” Wilson said. They all turned to him with questioning looks. What else could there be? “I mean, not me, of course. I was dead for five years. Rhodey, Bruce, you guys weren’t. You went on a mission for the stones, in which many of you held them.”

“That doesn’t explain why everyone else is unaffected or why Stark and Rogers were brought back, specifically,” Strange argued. “It especially doesn’t explain the memory loss.”

“Trauma?” Wilson suggested casually, earning a sigh from Strange. “Hey, this is clearly out of our league, and we’re the best equipped to handle it, right? Not too long ago, time travel was completely out of the question for me. So was coming back from the dead. Now we’ve succeeded in both.”

“What’s your point?” Strange asked

“My point is don’t be so closed-minded. Maybe we don’t know the stones as well as we think we do. There’s no reason to believe they’re cookie cutter.”

“So what you’re suggesting is we really don’t know anything and have made no progress,” Strange muttered, leaning back in his chair. Wilson sighed and shrugged. Rhodey and Bruce shared a look.

“Why don’t you two get some rest?” Bruce suggested. “You’re clearly agitated and tired. Rhodey and I can handle it for a few hours.” It didn’t take much convincing to get the two out of the room for some sleep. Bruce looked back at Rhodey. “Where’s Tony? I’m sure he’d be a great mind to take a crack at this mystery.”

“Wilson told me not to bring him, and that’s probably a good idea,” Rhodey admitted. “He’s still recovering. He seemed a bit off this morning when I visited him. Plus, this would only worry him and Pepper more. They deserve to spend time together with Morgan.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Bruce agreed. They both fell quiet. Bruce checked on Rogers’ vitals while Rhodey scrutinized the man from behind the glass.

“What else do they know about him?” Rhodey asked.

“Uh…” Bruce went on for a while, searching through the papers they had scattered on the control panel. He handed a few to Rhodey and looked through a few himself. “Mostly just some tests we ran to make sure everything was okay.”

“We’re sure it’s memory loss?”

“Has to be. His age is nearly the same as when he left, from what we can tell. It’d show if he was younger and the same Steve they found in 2011.”

“Does anyone else know except the four of us?” Bruce shook his head.

“The Guardians and Carol know, but they don’t want to bring too much attention to us or themselves by coming back so soon. People would start to get suspicious.” Rhodey nodded throughout Bruce’s explanation. He waited for Bruce to continue, but the man had stopped.

“That’s it?” Bruce nodded. “What about his BFF in Wakanda. Shouldn’t he and Wakanda know?” Bruce looked unsure.

“Uh, did you want to tell them?” Rhodey thought about how that conversation would go, and he could never imagine himself saying the sentence.

“This isn’t just about Tony anymore. It’s Steve Rogers. If more people start showing up with no memories, they’re going to be wondering why we didn’t tell them earlier.”

“Sounds like you should make a call,” Bruce suggested. Rhodey narrowed his eyes at the now-green man. Bruce just shrugged and went back to pretending he was looking at the documents.

“Sounds like that’s a job for Sam. He’s the captain, after all.” Bruce laughed.

“Think Steve will want his job back?” Rhodey look at Rogers pacing around.

“I think he only wants one thing, and that’s why he gave away his life here to get it.”

* * *

 

“You were right!” Shuri pleasantly said as she walked up to Bucky. Bucky looked over his shoulder. He was playing cards with his neighbor, a game that he had to teach her. She was winning.

“About what?” Bucky murmured. He laid down a card and made his neighbor smirk. He groaned internally.

“Wilson. He was keeping something from you.”

“What was that?” He cursed when his neighbor laid down her card, indicating that she won that hand. He threw down the remainder of his cards with a laugh.

“We don’t know. They want us to come to America to find out. Apparently, it’s a very sensitive topic.” Bucky groaned.

“Don’t you have hologram technology? We can use that. It’ll be like we’re there,” Bucky proposed unconvincingly. Shuri snorted and shook her head.

“In Wilson’s words, it was a ‘see it to believe it’ type scenario. We’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning if you’d like to join us.”

“You’re giving me an option?” Bucky asked, glancing over his new hand.

“Of course. You’re an adult. I’d highly advise that you go, though.”

“Who’s ‘we?’”

“My brother, a few of the Dora Milaje, and myself. It’s a very personal matter, and we will go on your behalf if you turn down the offer.” Bucky fell quiet, concentrating on the game as he considered the offer. “It sounds to me like you’ll be involved whether or not you decide to go, if that’s what you’re considering. Staying here won’t successfully keep you hidden from your problems.”

“I’m not running from my problems,” Bucky muttered, losing another hand. He smirked at the neighbor who was becoming extraordinarily cocky.

“I truly believe Wilson has the best intentions. He sounded reluctant to call. I don’t think he’d get you involved if it didn’t directly involve you. Plus, you were the one who guessed he was hiding something in the first place. You have to be curious.”

“You can stop your coercing, Princess. I’ll go.” Bucky laid down a card. He won the hand. “Are y’all picking me up or am I catching my own ride?” Shuri smiled at both of them and waved goodbye.

“See you at seven, Sergeant Barnes.”


	22. Eggs, Bacon, and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation is had with Steve. Disagreements arise in the group.

“Hey! When are you gonna let me out of here!” Steve yelled from inside the white room. He had gotten closer to the glass, which he couldn’t see through from his end. He felt silly yelling at a reflection, but he knew they were watching him. He resisted the urge to bang on the glass, fearing they would try to sedate him. “I know you’re in there! You can’t keep me trapped forever!”

On the other side, Rhodey and Bruce shared a worried look. Wilson looked stressed and rana hand over his face.

“When did they say they would get here?” Bruce asked tentatively.

“Tomorrow afternoon, but he’s right. We can’t just keep him locked up in there and not answer his questions. We didn’t do that to Stark.”

“We had Carol and the Guardians to vouch for Tony,” Rhodey reasoned. “And a lot more manpower if something went wrong. It’s just us and Strange.”

“Steve’s never been violent—” Rhodey gave him a deadpan look. Wilson ignored it. “Let’s make some breakfast and try to explain things. We have the Hulk, for Christ’s sake.”

“Actually, I prefer Bruce now,” Bruce muttered playfully. He gave Rhodey a sheepish smile. “I agree. We can’t keep him in there. Strange will probably be up soon to restrain him if need be.”

Rhodey wasn’t too happy with the decision, but he ended up making an abundance of eggs and bacon anyway. He had everything laid out for people to take their pick when Wilson walked in with Bruce and Steve. Steve still looked confused and a little angry. Actually, he looked really confused since Bruce was big and green and tailing after him like a bodyguard. He hoped it’d be enough so Steve wouldn’t act out.

“Morning, soldier,” Rhodey greeted. He gestured to the plates and glasses. “Help yourself.”

“Who are you?” Steve questioned. Wilson and Bruce started helping themselves. Bruce had an entire bowl of eggs to himself and grabbed at least half the bacon. Rhodey debated making more.

“Colonel James Rhodes,” Rhodey introduced, using his official title. He held his hand out for Steve to shake, which he cautiously did so.

“Are you going to be the one that explains what’s going on?” Steve asked, a hint of anger still in his voice. Rhodey smiled as kindly as he could muster.

“Why don’t you help yourself to some breakfast, so we can talk on a full stomach.” Steve could see he was getting nowhere with these people. He grabbed a plate like everyone else and loaded it up. He sat at the table a seat away from everyone else, closest to Wilson. He took a bite of the eggs and was blown away by how savory they were. He looked at everyone else, but no one seemed to notice. He expected the food to be bland and tasteless like what he was usually accustomed to.

They made themselves comfortable in the common room when they finished eating. The three men were looking at each other, convincing each other with their eyes to talk first. Steve sat there waiting.

“Fine,” Wilson growled out. “Steve, do you have any idea where you are?”

“Obviously not. That’s why I’ve been asking,” he answered emotionlessly.

“Not even a little clue?” Wilson was clearly trying to get at something, but Steve had no idea what that something was.

“America, I guess. That’s about all I could say. Somewhere north?” Wilson looked back at Rhodey and Bruce who looked back at him blankly. He wasn’t wrong. “Why? What do you want me to say?”

“What year is it?”

“What year is—” Steve chuckled in disbelief. “What kind of question is that?”

“Why don’t you just answer it.” Steve gulped, suddenly unsure of his answer. They were all looking at him deadly serious.

“1945.” Their faces gave away nothing. Was he wrong? Was he in a coma? Why had he been in the woods? “What? What’s wrong? Tell me!”

“Steve, its 2023.” Steve scoffed and stood up, making the other three stand as well. They looked ready for an attack, making Steve frown. Did they think he was going to attack them? He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He took a few deep breaths and sat down. They others followed suit. “You know all of us. You’re supposed to know all of us. You’re missing some memories.”

“Amnesia?” Steve asked, shaking his head. “What? How? No, wait. That doesn’t make any sense. 2023, that’s almost 80 years. That’s impossible. I would be dead.”

“It’s complicated—” Bruce started explaining.

“I know it’s complicated. I want you to explain it!” Steve growled out. They did that thing again where all three of them looked at each other. It was pissing Steve off. “What? What is it?”

“You time traveled,” Rhodey stated. Wilson’s jaw dropped as he looked at Rhodey. Rhodey narrowed his eyes at him before turning back to Steve. “It’s 21st century technology. Someone managed to bring you back where you weren’t supposed to be. Sam lied to you. You don’t know any of us, but you need to trust us.”

Steve got up and started pacing. He was 80 years in the future. He remembered being in the plane, and his stomach dropped. Oh god, he was supposed to see Peggy. She was gone now. She had to be.

“Are you going to get me back?” Steve choked out.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to do so. However, you have to trust us long enough to get you there. That means no one except the people we expose you to can know you’re here. No leaving this place without one of us taking you. Do you understand?” Steve nodded. “Great. How about we get you situated in a room. You can take a shower, and we’ll provide clothes.”

Wilson returned to the common room after he escorted Steve to his new room. He glared at Rhodey and held his hands out to his sides.

“What the hell, man? You lied to his face!” Wilson growled out.

“Were you really ready to explain to that man his entire life these past 12 years? How different things are?”

“You did the same thing with Stark!” Wilson yelled. “That wasn’t just 12 years. That was his entire life!”

“Tony didn’t time travel from 1945 where the war is over, gay marriage is legalized, and Jim Crow is gone!” Rhodey shouted back. “Tony woke up in space and successfully made his way to another planet where he ran into Carol. He was more than capable of handling the truth. Rogers knows nothing about the 21st century. How do you expect to catch him up to speed on everything and fill in the gaps of the past 12 years?”

“One memory at a time, just like Stark,” Wilson growled. The two men were close to each other now, seething with anger.

“What are you two at each other’s throats for?” Strange asked. All of them turned their heads towards the man who looked much better in a fresh set of robes. “Why aren’t you watching Rogers?”

“He’s taking a shower in his en suite,” Rhodey muttered. Strange narrowed his eyes at them.

“What did you tell him?”

“Rhodes told him that he time traveled from 1945.” Strange snapped his head towards Rhodey.

“You did _what_?” Strange snapped. Rhodey scoffed.

“Don’t look at me like I’m a child. Wilson was about to tell him everything, probably starting with his best friend Bucky Barnes!” Strange groaned and rubbed his hands over his face.

“I leave you three for a few hours…”

“Calm yourself, Strange. He’s fine. He’s just taking it in. We couldn’t just keep him in the dark unless we wanted to send him back in time,” Wilson explained.

“He didn’t act out or anything?”

“He got angry. Now he’s in the shower. Problem solved, except for the fact that he’s living a giant lie thanks to Rhodes.” They shared a glare again, making Strange roll his eyes at their pettiness.

“Probably for the best,” Strange muttered, taking a seat in an armchair. Wilson snapped his head up to look at Strange. “Finding out he’s part of the Avengers who fight aliens and managed to save half the universe would probably be a bit too much.”

“But it’s a lie! He’s going to have to find out eventually!”

“And he will do so,” Strange reassured him, “after he starts remembering some of the 21st century. If he’s truly Steve Rogers, he’ll probably understand why Rhodes lied to him.” Wilson sulked, reminded that he didn’t even like Strange.

“When is that going to happen exactly?” Bruce asked. “Are we going to use B.A.R.F. like we did Tony?”

“Most likely. Though, it probably won’t be as soon. As soon as Steve Rogers came up, this mystery of ours doubled in size. We need to get everyone up to speed on what’s going on and choose our next course of action. The King and Princess of Wakanda are arriving tomorrow. Rhodey, you need to get the Starks up to speed on what’s happening. Wilson, you need to give the Guardians and Danvers constant updates on what’s happening. They’ll tell us right away if something is wrong.”

“You want me to tell Tony?” Rhodey asked reluctantly.

“You don’t have to rip him away from his family. Just tell them what’s going on. You don’t even have to tell his wife if it makes you that upset.” Rhodey scoffed.

“Don’t you guys know better than to hide stuff from Pepper Potts by now?” Rhodey muttered, mostly to himself.

“Do we have any more speculations as to what this could be?” Bruce asked.

“I think a trip to Vormir is necessary. That was where the Soul Stone resided. None of the other stones required a sacrifice or something as intangible as it.”

“How did you guys get the other ones?” Wilson asked.

“Magicians had the Time Stone,” Rhodey pointed at Strange, who ignored the name. “Reality Stone was on Asgard. Power Stone was found on Morag, kind of protected by these ruins. They got the Tesseract ergo the Space Stone in the 70’s on Earth. The Mind Stone was in Loki’s scepter.”

“None of them as shady as the Soul Stone?”

“Nope.”

“Perfect,” Wilson muttered sarcastically. He looked over at Bruce who looked pained to even be having the conversation. “What’s wrong?”

“We have to go to Vormir? That’s where Natasha died.” Everyone in the room flinched at the reminder. “If this is because of the Soul Stone, why isn’t she here?” Bruce almost sounded hopeful.

“It was her sacrifice that allowed us to acquire it. In order for the stone to work, her sacrifice would have to stay in place,” Strange speculated. “I’m sorry.” Bruce waved him off, still looking saddened.

“How would we get answers? Would we need to sacrifice someone else?” Bruce speculated. Suddenly, everyone realized what was truly at stake here.

“We won’t know unless we go,” Strange said. “Danvers or the Guardians will handle that side of things. For now, we need to worry about Rogers. As soon as everyone is up to speed, we need to figure out what to do with Rogers.”

“What about Barnes?” They turned to look at Rhodey. “He’s in Wakanda. Is he coming with them?”

“I told them they should bring him,” Wilson admitted.

“What do we tell him? Do we tell him anything?”

“Wow, you really have no issues when it comes to withholding the truth from Rogers and those who concern him," Wilson snapped.

“Stop acting like an asshole, Sam!” Rhodey raised his voice. “I’m not trying to be biased. I wasn’t thinking straight when I saw Tony, because he’s supposed to be dead! I didn’t have a choice in whether he found out the truth or not. Steve’s different, and you know it!”

“We’re telling Bucky,” Wilson asserted.

“Rogers can’t see him. He’ll know something is up.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing. He’ll believe anything Bucky tells him. Maybe we should just have Bucky explain everything to him.”

“That won’t change the fact that he knows nothing about the 21st century!” Rhodey was getting increasingly frustrated. “Can you get it out of your head for a second that everyone is personally against you or Rogers? Rogers need time, a lot more time that Tony. He will find out the truth. It just won’t be right away. We’re not hiding anything from anyone else except Rogers as long as they can keep their mouths shut.”

“When did you become team leader?” Wilson questioned. Rhodey bit back his sass.

“This isn’t a dictatorship. Strange already agreed that getting him acclimated into the 21st century is better. I’m sure Tony and T’Challa will, too. Bruce?” They turned towards Bruce, who was characteristically watching it all go down without much input. He coughed awkwardly.

“Sorry, Sam…” Bruce answered with a cringe when Wilson turned and tailed it out of the room. Rhodey groaned and leaned back into the couch. “He’ll get over it in time," Bruce reassured him.

“Maybe,” Rhodey said. “But we still need to make sure he doesn’t lock himself and Rogers in a closet somewhere and tell him everything. FRIDAY?”

“I will alert you if I think Mr. Wilson is about to take such measures,” FRIDAY responded loyally. Rhodey grinned.

“Alright. I’m going to call Tony.”


	23. What Are We Doing With Him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussion over Steve's situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even going to pretend I all the way got the time travel explanation they gave in endgame, and I only saw it once in theaters so...

Unlike Wakanda, Bucky wasn’t greeted with a breeze of fresh air when he stepped off the jet. Though it smelled significantly better since they were isolated, the Avengers compound was still less than ideal.

Bucky followed behind T’Challa and Shuri as they exited the plane and greeted Wilson. Bucky gave Wilson a goofy grin before sharing a hug with him.

“You don’t understand how happy I am to see you,” Wilson muttered into his ear. “You left me with Stephen fucking Strange, the Hulk, and Rhodey.”

“What’s wrong with Rhodey?” Bucky asked, pulling away from Wilson.

“Nothing, I’m just pissed.” He turned and waved Bruce, Rhodey, and Strange over, who all greeted the guests.

“What’s this about?” Bucky asked them as they walked inside the compound.

“Right, as lovely as these ladies are,” Wilson referred to the Dora Milaje, “they probably shouldn’t come into the control room with us.” They didn’t like Wilson’s suggestion. Bucky tried to hide a smile as Wilson got flustered at their glares. “We’re happy to accommodate you. I’m sure Bruce can get beverages.” Bruce frowned and pointed to himself. Wilson frowned and mouthed something to him before turning around and smiling at them. Bruce chuckled nervously.

“Ladies…” Bruce gestured to the hall that led them to the kitchen. The Dora Milaje had excellent poker faces, but Bucky had that feeling that even they could not resist finding more out about Bruce’s current condition.

The rest of them followed Wilson to the control room. Convincing Steve to get back in there had been the world’s biggest chore. Rhodey had to go on a run to buy history books and things of the like that Steve could occupy his time with. He also bought a few newspapers and magazines, advising him to leave those for last. To further convince Steve, Rhodey bought blankets and slippers so Steve would be comfortable. He thought he was being treated like a king. The icing on the cake was bribing Steve with 21st century candy bars. There were wrappers filling up the trashcan and littered around as Steve scarfed them down, claiming he had a fast metabolism.

T’Challa and Shuri had yet to ask any questions. Wilson seemed happy to have the respect and trust given to him. He pulled up some chairs for them to sit in. He clicked a couple buttons on the control panel, and the opaque glass turned clear.

Bucky stared emotionlessly as Steve Rogers. The man was currently reading a book about the Vietnam War. He seemed fairly invested. His other hand was occupied with a Snickers bar. Wilson was looking straight at Bucky as soon as he made Steve visible, wanting to see’s Bucky’s reaction. He didn’t know how to feel about the blank face.

“That’s Captain Rogers. I thought he traveled back in time and failed to make it home,” T’Challa pointed out.

“He showed up a few days ago in the woods and made his way here. He has no memory of ever being in the 21st century. Strange confirmed it was him. Rhodey told him that he had time traveled since he didn’t want to explain everything Steve was missing.”

“How’d he get here?” Bucky asked. His voice gave away no emotion. Wilson gulped.

“We’re trying to figure that out. Strange has a theory about the Soul Stone.”

“We should sit down and discuss this with all of us,” Shuri suggested. “I imagine there’s a logical line of reason that led him to the Soul Stone.”

“Yeah, but there’s more to the story you need to know to understand it.”

“More than Steve Rogers sitting in that room after he told us he was happy months ago?” Bucky asked, recalling how content Steve was on the bench.

“Yeah. He arrives in 30 minutes.”

* * *

 

Tony’s heart was racing a million miles a minute as he drove to the compound. He took his time, which wasn’t usually his style. Rhodey had told him everything on the phone, figuring it probably wasn’t the weirdest thing that’s happened to him in the past few months. He wasn’t wrong, but this was insane.

Tony wasn’t all the way there, but he might as well have been. Having the memories of their little “civil war” fresh in his mind only made his heart race faster. Why did this happen now? Why this?

Rhodey also told him the lie he had cooked up for Steve. Tony laughed despite his best efforts not to. He cast his vote in favor of Rhodey’s plan so Wilson would stop antagonizing him. He couldn’t help but feeling their situations were different. For Tony, there were so many different dots to connect. He felt traces while he was on Yundar and eventually on Xandar. With only his name and the Guardians chasing him, it started to piece together. Rogers had nothing, not even the connection to the 21st century. Sure, he’d been fine the last time he woke up years into the future, but to find out it’s been years with an entirely new life he’s built? Tony didn’t want to find out that soon.

Tony pulled up to the compound, recognizing the Wakandan jet parked on the other side. He straightened the tie he had put on and got out the car. He had FRIDAY direct him to where he needed to go. Before he could enter the control room, Rhodey stepped out of it.

“Hey, man!” Rhodey greeted, exchanging a hug. He started leading Tony not into the control room but into a board room.

“What’s going on?” Tony asked, taking a seat without complaint. “Something wrong with Rogers?”

“Other than what you already know? No. The problem is T’Challa and Barnes are here. They have no idea you’re alive.” Tony barked out a laugh.

“Wow. And we decided to expose them to Rogers and then bring them to me to find out the rest?”

“I think they’ll have a bit of an easier time believing a time traveler had some trouble traveling time than you coming back to life.”

“Is he a time traveler?”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought Strange had a theory about the Soul Stone. Maybe the other Rogers is still back in time with Peggy.”

“You think this is a duplicate?”

“I’m just throwing out some ideas,” Tony responded before shrugging, ending the brief conversation. “Is Wilson telling them who’s in this room before bringing them here?”

“Depends on Wilson. My bet is that he’ll chicken out of it.” Tony pulled out a $20 bill.

“I bet he’ll mention my name.” Rhodey scoffed and placed a twenty besides his. They both waited with amused expressions for everyone else to enter the room. Bruce came in first, giving a smile and a wave to them both. Strange came in after, looking as serious as ever. He sat next to Tony, giving him the kindest smile Rhodey had ever seen on the man which, granted, still wasn’t all too nice.

T’Challa and Shuri entered the room followed by Barnes and Wilson. They all stared at Stark, but they calmly took their seats anyway. They were all turned towards the center of the table now.

“Stark,” T’Challa greeted. “Not what I was expecting, Wilson.” Rhodey cursed under his breath as Tony slid the money towards himself with a shit eating grin.

“We attended your funeral, Mr. Stark,” Shuri pointed out. “You’re looking better.”

“Thanks.” They turned towards Wilson who had yet to explain anything.

“Stark’s been alive for a couple months,” Wilson admitted. They sat patiently as Wilson explained. “He wasn’t on Earth. Like Rogers, he had some memories gone. All of them, actually. He made his way through space until he ran into Carol Danvers. They made their way to Earth with the Guardians. We’ve been working on his memories ever since. He’s pretty much up to speed, right?” They turned towards Tony, who nodded.

“Mostly, yeah,” Tony confirmed.

“And you kept this from us?” T’Challa asked. Wilson coughed nervously.

“We were afraid of a leak while we were getting the information to you, not from your side. Just in …transmission?” Wilson awkwardly tried to explain. T’Challa hummed.

“You were going explain everything,” Bucky muttered, still looking at Tony. Strange cleared his throat, gaining all eyes on him.

“We think it has something to do with the infinity stones, specifically the soul one. It was debatably the most difficult to get, probably the most powerful.”

“What does it do?” Shuri asked.

“Duplicate souls?” Tony suggested with a shrug. Strange raised an eyebrow at him.

“Tony has a theory that Rogers isn’t the same Rogers. He thinks that the Soul Stone duplicated them, and that the other Rogers is still in the past.”

“Interesting theory,” Strange mused.

“What are we going to do about it?” Bucky asked.

“About what, exactly?” Rhodey asked. Bucky gestured towards Tony.

“Him. Steve. People randomly showing up without their memories.”

“It takes three to make a pattern,” Strange responded. “We can’t act irrationally when we’ve only got these two to base it off of.”

“So we’re supposed to sit in do nothing?” Bucky questioned. He was leaning forward on the table and frowning.

“Both of their situations were more than unique. Rogers altered his own timeline by going back. Tony wielded the stones to the point where it killed him.”

“Many others carried one or all of the stones,” T’Challa pointed out. “How are we to know if they have been affected as well.”

“We don’t,” Strange answered. “The Guardians and Danvers will be the ones to check out Vormir, where the stone was located. Until then, all we can do is keep an eye on these two.”

“How? Trapping Steve here?” Bucky asked bitterly.

“He’s only in that room so you could see him without him seeing you,” Wilson explained. “He already has accommodations. However, it would be really convenient if those accommodations could be moved elsewhere. People are started to get suspicious.”

“So pay them off,” Bucky muttered. Wilson scoffed.

“You can’t pay off curiosity, especially not when it involves the Avengers. It’s hard to keep anything secret anymore. I’m surprised there aren’t already headlines about Tony Stark coming back from the dead, planning to raise the rest as his army,” Wilson snarked.

“Can I see him?” Bucky asked once everyone had fell silent.

“Absolutely, not,” Strange said. Bucky looked ready to argue, but Tony beat him to the punch.

“Steve sees your pretty little ass stroll up in there, all bets are off. He’ll never cooperate.”

“Stark—” T’Challa started, but Tony wasn’t listening.

“He’s proven before that he’ll do anything and everything to make sure he’s with Barnes or make sure he’s okay.”

“Then why did he go back in time?” Barnes challenged. Tony shrugged.

“Maybe he came back on purpose. Either way, he needs to take things slowly. He sees Barnes, that’s all out of the question.” Bucky and Tony were having a bit of a glaring contest.

“Then what the hell did you bring me here for?”

“You’d rather we not let you know?” Rhodey asked sarcastically. Rhodey stood up, tired of the mess Wilson and Bucky seemed ready to create because of Steve Rogers. “You know what? You and Wilson don’t get a choice!” Wilson stood up as well.

“You can’t tell me what to do, Rhodes! I’m the team leader, now!”

“So you can stay here, in the compound, and lead!” Rhodey yelled back. “You and Barnes are too close to the situation. You’re acting irrationally. Rogers is going to come with us. It’s Tony’s technology that’ll help him, so it’ll be us that uses it.”

“And you’re not too close to the situation?” Wilson yelled back. He pointed at Tony. “He _is_ the situation.”

“I’m recovered,” Tony lied, just a little bit. “You have other shit to attend to, so just let us take care of this. The Steve you know will be back in no time, and then you’ll have to thank us for our hard work.”

“If you can’t control yourself long enough to see to the end of his recovery, we can’t have you near him,” Strange concluded the argument. The tension was still high between them. Everyone started filing out of the room to calm themselves before they made any more decisions as there where they would take Rogers. Shuri trailed after Tony.

“Would you mind if I were to be in the control room when you started recovery Rogers’ memories?” Shuri asked. They walked behind the larger group, which was pretty sparse as is. Tony looked surprised by her request and shrugged.

“I’m fine with it. You might have to convince Strange, though. He’s kind of the hardass of the group,” Tony joked. “Why? You a fan?”

“Of Rogers? Not particularly. However, you never released the B.A.R.F. technology for public use. We’ve never been able to get our hands on it.”

“Fine by me. Maybe you guys can release it for therapy, since I’m supposed to be dead,” Tony deadpanned. Shuri smiled.

“Let’s see what this thing can do.”


	24. He'll Get Over It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve experiences a memory. The Guardians have a realization.

“What’s the most surprising thing about the 21st century?” Shuri asked Rogers as he helped move some furniture out of the room. In order to get Rogers out of the compound so he was away from Barnes and Wilson and so business could continue, Pepper had to organize for a safehouse. Furthermore, she had to get construction workers and technicians out there to hook up a room similar to that in the compound. Rogers had made himself comfortable in the safe house in the meantime.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Steve began. He and Shuri were sitting in the living room while Strange and Tony started messing with the control room to get everything set up. “Wakanda?”

“That’s a good answer,” Shuri said pleasantly with a smile.

“It’s weird,” Steve muttered. “It’s all amazing, but it’s also…familiar somehow? Like I find out about something, and I’m blown away until I think ‘wait, I already knew that.’” Shuri nodded and made a mental note.

“There’s probably an explanation for that,” she responded emotionlessly.

“What are they setting up that room for?” Shuri bit her lip. It would probably be best for her to let Strange or Rhodey explain what was going on. While Steve was getting better and better at recognizing the 21st century, much to his own confusion, she still didn’t know how they were going to break the ice that they’d been lying to him.

“He’ll start to realize things on his own,” Tony answered while hooking up a few wires. Shuri looked displeased by this answer.

“That’s not a solution.”

“Look,” Tony said with a sigh. “Rhodey and Pepper and Strange could’ve spent all the time in the world showing me memories and telling me things about myself that I should have already known, but it wouldn’t have made me, me. We’ll facilitate his memories, but he’ll need to realize for himself who Steve Rogers is.”

“How does he do that if he’s confused about why he’s here.”

“My guess is that if we show him memories of him here, he’ll remember that he belongs here before he’ll remember anything else.”

“But you can’t ensure that.”

“I can’t ensure anything. Nobody can. We tell him that he has a whole life here, he’ll think we’re lying. He’ll think we’re feeding him false information.”

“Maybe if you hadn’t lied to him in the first place…” Shuri pointed out. Tony sighed harshly.

“I’m not having this argument again. He needed to know about this time period. End of story. Plus, he just came from fighting against Nazis. I think the man is naturally distrustful. He’d probably believe it was a ploy against Captain America personally if we told him right away.”

“How did Nick Fury do it last time?”

“Nick Fury didn’t have to tell him he’s missing almost ten years of his life.” Tony stopped what he was doing and turned towards Shuri. “We’re not the villains here. Rogers is going to be fine in the end, whether we lied to him or not.”

“Not entirely ethical.”

“It’s not about intentions, it’s about impact,” Tony responded smoothly. “I can’t speak for what I’ve meant to do in the past or what Rogers has meant to do in the past. I can only take responsibility for my _actions_. If anything goes wrong, that’s on me, and I own that. You just have to trust me, trust us.” Shuri looked at Strange and Rhodey who had kept quiet throughout the exchange. She nodded.

“And Wilson and Barnes?”

“As soon as he remembers that they’re here, we’ll bring them in. We aren’t keeping them separate in spite.”

“Alright, Mr. Rogers,” Strange spoke into the mic. Steve straightened up. “As I’ve told you before, we have reason to believe you’re missing memories.”

“From those 80 years?” Steve guessed. Strange raised an eyebrow at them. Rhodey just shrugged.

“To some extent, yes,” Strange answered. Steve looked confused and a bit pained to find this out. “You’re in this room to use technology that might help you bring it back. Do you see the frames sitting on the table in front of you?” Steve picked up the frames and nodded.

“Yes.”

“This will be used to access your hippocampus—” Rhodey nudged Strange before shaking his hand and using a hand motion that said, ‘cut it out.’ Strange sighed in annoyance. “It will allow you to see your memories. Do you understand?”

“Yes, but how? If I don’t remember them, I mean.”

“That’s the beauty of Stark’s technology,” Strange responded.

“Stark? Howard Stark?” Tony groaned from his seat and slammed his hands into his face. Strange hit the button that would allow his voice to be heard again.

“His son, Tony Stark. I thought you would have read about him by now,” Stephen explained Steve looked a bit sheepish.

“I didn’t get that far…”

“Nevertheless, it is Tony Stark’s creation. We will choose to the best of our ability what memories to project. If at any point you get uncomfortable, make us aware.”

“Gotcha,” Steve responded with a thumbs up. Tony and Rhodey shared a deadpan look.

The first memory was heavily debated. It was hard to choose one that would slowly lead him to the truth without causing an avalanche of emotion and memories to flood him. They eventually settled on reminding Steve on one of the first people he met upon waking up: Nick Fury.

They all watched as a gym took over the white room from Steve’s perspective. Steve twirled around in surprise before settling on a figure walking in. His heart leaped when he faintly recognized the black man with an eyepatch. He talked to him without even trying to.

“I went under. The world was at war. I wake up. They say we won. They didn’t say what we lost,” Steve said to the man, trying to remember his name.

“We’ve made some mistakes along the way,” the man responded. “Some very recently.”

“You here with a mission, sir?”

“I am.”

“Trying to get me back in the world?”

“Trying to save it.” Steve looked at the folder the man handed to him. He saw a blue cube and the bolded letters that say ‘Tesseract’ next to it. He looked up at the man, at Fury. He knew who Fury was, and he knew what the Tesseract was.

“The Tesseract?” Shuri muttered, her hands to her lips as she concentrated. “Was that wise?”

“It and Loki’s scepter are interconnected throughout his time here. They don’t lead to Barnes or Wilson, but they do lead to the Avengers. That’s where we need him heading,” Tony explained.

“To remember you guys?”

“To remember whose side he’s on.”

“He’s called Loki,” Fury continued. “He’s not from around here.” They could all see Steve frown and think. “The world has gotten even stranger than you already know.”

“At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me.”

“Ten bucks says you’re wrong.” The memory started to fade, and it was easy to see how flustered Steve looked.

“What was that?” Steve called out. He looked like he was going to start panicking. “Who was that? What’s going on? That wasn’t my memory?”

“You don’t know who he is?” Strange asked skeptically. He knew the answer to that question, he just had to see if Steve was going to admit it.

“Nick Fury,” Steve breathed out. “But I don’t know who that is!”

“You will in time, Mr. Rogers. You just have to trust us.”

“Tell me what’s going on!” Steve yelled. Shuri pursed her lips and looked at all three of the men in the room.

“Don’t look at us like that," Rhodey said defensively.

“What’s your next plan of action?” Shuri asked.

“Next memory,” Strange stated. They all turned their heads towards him.

“What?”

“He’s already down the rabbit hole, might as well find out what Wonderland’s about.”

“That is a terrible analogy,” Rhodey muttered.

“He’s starting to remember. I think it’ll be a lot faster than Stark, so let’s help him.”

“He’s going to be pissed.”

“He’ll get over it,” Tony claimed. “What’s next?”

* * *

 

“I’m not going,” Nebula mumbled from her seat. Quill and Thor looked over at her.

“What?”

“To Vormir. I’m not going.”

“What? Why?” Rocket asked.

“You know what happened there.”

“Yeah, we know what happened there. That’s why we’re going,” Rocket explained. He had to awkwardly listen as Barton explained what happened to Natasha through tears.

“Gamora…” Nebula whispered.

“Gamora,” Quill scoffed. “Yes, Gamora. We owe it to her to find out what’s going. I loved her, too! You can’t chicken out now!” Nebula didn’t respond.

“Don’t force her into anything, Quill,” Thor muttered. “We’re only checking it out. There shouldn’t be any danger. She can wait on the ship.”

Nebula felt like a coward waiting on the ship. The rest of the Guardians were cautious going up the mountain, knowing how Natasha and Gamora died. Quill looked angry, like he was out for blood. Thor was just as angry but a whole lot more solemn.

All weapons were immediately drawn when the Red Skull stepped into view. He looked solemn and practically floated towards them.

“The stone which you seek has found its home,” he said. “You must take your business elsewhere.”

“What happened to a soul for a soul?” Quill asked, never lowering his weapon.

“A one-time deal with the universe has been fulfilled.” Quill snorted.

“It wasn’t one-time. These idiots went back and did it again.” The Red Skull looked at them emotionless. They waited for a response, and explanation for why the Soul Stone worked this way. They got nothing.

“What do you know of the stone?” Thor asked.

“I am nothing more than a guide. I do not have the knowledge you seek.”

“Screw it,” Quill spat. He walked past and went toward the edge where the mountain where he knew Gamora had been sacrificed. His footsteps got slower as he got closer. His hands were shaking as he lowered his weapon. He slowly moved towards the edge and peeked over. There was no one there, not Gamora, not Natasha. Quill bit back a sob. “There’s nothing here. It’s time to go.”

“What? We’ve gotten no answers,” Rocket complained. He held his gun up closer to the Red Skull. “You better start providing us some.” The Red Skull turned his head towards Rocket.

“You can’t kill what has no soul,” he whispered. Rocket groaned and walked away bitterly.

“Did we come all this way for nothing? There’s got to be something here. How else are we going to explain Stark and Rogers?” Rocket asked. No one knew how to answer. “What’s Danvers doing?”

“Trying to find information about the stones anywhere else,” Thor answered.

“Does this just confirm that the stones are really gone, for good?” Rocket mumbled. “Maybe all this shit is a side effect from Thanos destroying them. Did they ever think of that?” Rocket turned back towards the Red Skull. “Hey, could the Soul Stone possibly make dead people come alive again or make people forget important stuff like their entire memory?”

“What are you doing, Rocket?” Quill asked, squinting at him.

“What is dead loses its soul. A human cannot live on without it.”

“So you’re saying Stark never died?” The Red Skull acted like it didn’t even hear the new question. “We saw his burnt-up body. It was in the coffin.” A closed coffin, they all realized without saying it out loud.

“Memories are just the soul’s way of tracking time,” the Red Skull continued. They all fell silent as the figure started to walk away.

“What did he say?” Quill asked.

“Memories are just the soul’s way of tracking time,” Thor repeated. “Shit.”

“I’m confused. I thought we were here to get the Soul Stone,” Mantis pondered.

“What are you thinking?” Rocket asked Thor, who had a deep-thinking face on.

“Stark was never dead. Rogers was never gone. They’ve just both been brought back to us. Strange was wrong. It’s not the Soul Stone we need to worry about. It’s the Time Stone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I've got some crazy-ish stuff planned for the last few chapters before wrapping up. Thanks for staying with me this long.


	25. Reminiscing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony have a talk

They let Steve sleep in the B.A.R.F. room once him memories started getting out of control. Even Strange didn’t account for the amount of stress Steve was going through. Though, surprisingly, he didn’t seem too upset at them. Strange took that as a good sign, thinking maybe Steve was getting his memories back.

Steve woke up with a groan, but the lights were still off. He waited for someone to turn on the lights like they usually did when they found out he was awake, but it didn’t happen. Maybe it was too late, and they were all asleep.

Steve’s mind was still reeling at all the information that was going through his head. He was remembering not just his 21st century life but who he was. At the same time, he was always surprised to learn more about himself. He had a dream about Ultron and Wanda, and now he was wondering where she was. Steve turned his head when he saw the frames start blinking in the darkness.

Steve got up and walked over to them. He could see a picture through the lens. Did that mean they were working? Steve looked up at the mirror, but, like usual, he couldn’t see anybody on the other side. He waited for someone to tell him to put the glasses on, but he was met with silence. Steve sighed and pushed the glasses onto his face. The image was almost as dark as his room.

Steve was watching Tony’s face. He looked distraught about something. Steve turned his head, and his stomach instantly dropped as he recognized the video. He turned his head to see Bucky standing beside him. Bucky. He remembered that Bucky was here. Where was he? The video ended and Tony was going towards Bucky. Steve stopped him.

“Did you know?” Tony’s voice rang out. Steve could hear his own heartbeat in his ears.

“I didn’t know it was him,” Steve responded without intending to.

“Don’t bullshit me!” Tony’s harsh words made Steve flinch. What was this? Why was this happening? “Did you know?” Steve stared at Tony. He was surprised by the next words that came out of his mouth.

“Yes.” Tony stepped away from Steve, like he was repulsed. “It wasn’t him.” Steve wasn’t expecting the punch that came towards his face. He didn’t feel anything, but he fell anyway. He watched as the scene around him changed constantly. He saw him and Tony fighting. He saw Tony and Bucky fighting. He watched as Tony blew his best friend’s arm off. He stood up and looked at Tony laying on the ground, looking at him fearfully.

“Why?” Steve choked out. He knew this was himself, not the memory. “Why are you showing me this?” For the first time ever, the mirror changed into a glass panel. Steve could see Tony sitting on the other side. He had dark circles around his eyes and a grim expression on his face. “Tony?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to keep watch of you in case you had a meltdown or something,” Tony’s voice rang out through the room. Steve had jumped in surprise. “You want to know what I keep seeing when I close my eyes?” Steve didn’t say anything, because he knew the answer.

“That was years ago.”

“Yeah? Funny, isn’t it. I remember dying, but this is the stuff that keeps me up at night. It was one of the last things I remembered.”

“Why?” Steve breathed. Tony shrugged.

“I think it was because they told me you got to grow old with Peggy, and your buddy was chilling in Wakanda.”

“So, what? You’re still spiteful? After we fought together? After we shook hands?” Steve added that last bit once he remembered how they traveled back in time to retrieve the stones.

“I just wanted to make sure I got to you before the others could and spin things around like they do.” Steve scoffed.

“They? Who, Bucky?”

“And your buddy Wilson. You should’ve seen them. I thought they were just about ready to attack us when we told them we couldn’t tell you everything right away.” Steve wanted to defend them, say they were right. He opened his mouth to do so, but no words came out. He knew Tony and Rhodey were right. He would’ve freaked out if they told him the truth.

“Where are they? Why did you keep them from me?”

“They’re on their way,” Tony answered casually, twisting back in forth in his chair. “We contacted them as soon as you remembered their damn names. We had to make sure they weren’t going to ruin everything.”

“‘Ruin everything,’ really, Tony? Shouldn’t we be over this. It’s been years since—”

“He’s been gone for most of those years. It’s not like I’ve hung out with either of them in the majority of those years.”

“This is petty—”

“This is me,” Tony interrupted, “retrieving your memories as they actually happened. Now that Barnes and Wilson are on their way, they’ll want to take control of the rest of your memories.”

“They have the right to,” Steve argued. “They’re my friends.”

“So was I,” Tony snorted. Steve flinched back. “Remember that?”

“I remember almost everything anyway,” Steve muttered. Tony hummed thoughtfully.

“I suppose that’s a good thing. We’ve got bigger problems, potentially.”

“What exactly?”

“Making sure the problem stops with us.”

“Are you going to let me out of here now?” Steve and Tony stared at each other. He was suddenly reminded by the life Tony had built after noticing his gray hair. Tony just looked tired not angry. The memory was uncalled for, but he didn’t see any malicious intent in Tony’s eyes. “I want to help.” Tony stared at him a bit longer before leaving the control room, never bothering to turn on the lights. “Come on, Tony!”

“Calm down,” Tony said. Steve jumped and turned to see Tony leaning against the open doorway to the room. “Are you going to stand there looking stupid much longer?” Steve rolled his eyes and followed him out.

Steve wasn’t wrong to guess it was late. It was pitch black outside. He assumed everyone else was asleep, and Bucky and Sam would be here in the morning. He followed Tony to the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes as the pot of coffee Tony was making. Tony looked up to see Steve’s disapproving glare.

“Relax. It’s decaf,” Tony lied. What was the point of decaf coffee? He took a long, hot sip that burned his throat. Tony offered Steve a cup, and Steve took one against his better judgement. They sat in the living room by the floor to ceiling windows where the moonlight lit up the room.

“Tony?” Tony hummed in response. “I’m sorry.” Tony looked up, frowning at Steve. Steve was looking out the window at the forest that surrounded them, isolating them from the rest of the world. He turned to look at Tony’s astonished expression.

“What?”

“I remembered when you came back from space.” It took Tony a few seconds to realize he was talking about over five years ago when he was trapped on the ship with Nebula. Tony hadn’t meant to make a habit of getting lost in space, but here he was.

“Not my best moment,” Tony muttered, remembering again how he had collapsed.

“You were right. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry at you for trying to protect us. I’m sorry for not being there when we lost.”

“You were there when we won.”

“And you died because of it. I ran off.”

“Yeah, you do realize Peggy created an entire life without your, right?” Tony laughed, a bit of snark in his voice. “With a husband, a son, and a daughter?”

“I didn’t mess anything up,” Steve argued. “I created a new timeline.”

“And that makes it okay?”

“You want me to apologize for returning to the love of my life?” Rogers scoffed.

“You barely knew her.”

“Barely knew her? I was in love with her long before I crashed down, Tony!”

“Really? Because you hadn’t even gotten a date until you were conveniently about to die.” Steve stood up angrily.

“What’s the point of this. I apologized.”

“My point is, you were selfish.” Tony stood as well. “You couldn’t have known what was going to happen after Thanos, and I was already dead. You just left.”

“There are plenty of others. You wanted me to forfeit my own happiness for a threat that might never come?”

“Peggy moved on in a couple years. You’ve had more than ten. Why couldn’t you?”

“Would you have moved on from Pepper?” Steve argued back. Tony laugh sardonically.

“Really? You’re asking me if I would have moved on from my actual wife and daughter, after I gave my life to kill Thanos? Is that really what you’re asking me, Steve?” Tony bit back.

“Did it take you ten years to figure out you loved Pepper?”

“No,” Tony admitted. “But I wouldn’t go back and take away her life if she wasn’t with me. If I had come back to Earth knowing she had moved on already, I wouldn’t dare rip her away.” Steve looked at Tony’s distraught face, like the man was actually imagining it. Tony plopped back onto the couch, staring out the windows. Steve sighed and sat back down as well.

“Dammit, I’m sorry. I ran away. I created a new timeline without thinking of the consequences. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry you died. I’m sorry about lying to you.” Tony froze and turned towards Steve.

“What?”

“I never got to apologize to you in person. I realize I never actually apologized for lying, just for what happened. I’m sorry. You were my friend, Tony. I was a bad one after Ultron, but you were still my friend.” Tony didn’t know what to say. He realized the pettiness he had acted on when he showed Steve the memory, but he wasn’t expecting this.

“I’m sorry,” Tony muttered. Steve chuckled.

“For what?”

“I don’t know. It just felt necessary. I guess for hitting you and Barnes. I should probably apologize to Barnes.” Steve chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he isn’t an asshole this time around.” Tony waved him off.

“It’s fine. It just means he’s healthy, right? Better than the frigid soldier from all those years ago.” Steve nodded his head.

“How are Pepper and Morgan, by the way?”

“Good. Morgan took it surprisingly well,” Tony said, easing into the casual conversation. Steve smiled.

“Of course she did. I’m sure everyone’s excited Tony Stark’s back to fix all their problems.” Tony snorted.

“Good luck convincing everyone of that.”

“I will. I’ll make things right again. I promise.”

* * *

 

Steve couldn’t help the wave of emotions that washed over him when Bucky entered the safe house. They had hugged for a long time, even longer than when Steve saw him in Wakanda. It was probably the aftermath of finding out he was alive all over again. He gave Wilson the same treatment, apologizing for how he behaved when they first met again.

“It’s all good, Cap,” Wilson said, smacking Steve on the shoulder. “How have Team Stark been treating you?”

“Team Stark?” Steve repeated, unamused. Wilson smiled. “Fine. You should apologize. They were right.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Wilson admitted.

“What now?” Bucky asked Steve, keeping his voice low. Steve noticed this.

“You don’t have to talk to me like we’re a separate team,” Steve reassured him. “We all have the same goals.”

“Really? Because they seemed pretty intent on getting you away from us. How do we know they didn’t taint your memories?” Wilson proposed.

“Because you’re still my best friend despite how much of an asshole you’ve been,” Steve answered. Wilson narrowed his eyes. “Listen, I’m nearly if not all the way here. What they did was correct. Once I got a hold of this time period, I was able to start connecting the dots myself. It got easier when I realized who they were.”

“Do you remember how you got here?” Bucky asked. Steve shook his head.

“I remember trying to find Peggy. I didn’t actually get to her in time. I remember trying to find her and then waking up in the woods. I don’t have any answers.”

“Still, not as weird as Stark’s,” Wilson muttered.

“What exactly happened with Tony?” Steve asked.

“You mean, they didn’t tell you? You are okay with knowing he’s alive but not how?”

“They told me he woke up with no memories. I was just wondering how he got there.”

“Same as you: no clue. Strange is working with this Soul Stone theory, but that’s as far as we got. We’re waiting to hear back from the Guardians before we move forward.” Steve nodded along as Wilson explained.

“I guess you’re staying here then?” Bucky asked.

“Where else would I go?” Steve responded, a bit confused. Bucky shrugged, looking around the modern smart house.

“With Sam? It’s not like we can just send you back in time after you just got back. Staying here by yourself doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Then why don’t you stay?” Steve offered. “Just for a couple weeks if you’re so concerned. Tony’s not that far away—” Wilson chortled.

“Yes, that’s reassuring,” he muttered sardonically. Steve shook his head at him, but Wilson was looking elsewhere.

“We’re still a team. We do things together. Once we figure out what’s going on, I’m sure we’ll be able to return things to normal.”

“Nothing’s ever normal with you guys,” Bucky pointed out bitterly. “I miss Wakanda.”


	26. The Time Stone Isn't Happy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony surprises Peter. Everyone discusses the Time Stone.

Peter Parker wasn’t exactly thrilled he hadn’t been able to see Tony in a few days. He had called Happy and Pepper who both told him to focus on his studies. When he asked what was going on, he was told that Tony was gone for a few days. Peter hung up the phone and nearly had a breakdown. For a second he questioned whether he had really ever seen Tony, but the conversation he just had must have confirmed it.

He hadn’t seen Morgan in a few days as a result of it. Peter felt like a sophomore all over again when he was constantly texting Happy trying to reach Tony or get a mission. He drifted from class to class but wouldn’t drop any more extracurriculars, because he’d get in trouble with May if he did so.

Peter had no plans for Friday night other than his “Stark Internship,” which he now claimed to be under Pepper Stark rather than Tony Stark. He thought he might call Ned tomorrow to do something over the weekend, but, as he was, he walked out of school with no real plans. He began to think all of that would change when he saw a familiar black Audi waiting outside the school. Peter approached it cautiously.

“Oh, my god, are you going on a mission?” Ned whispered loudly. Peter’s eyes bugged out as he turned and waved his hands to get Ned to shut up or quiet down.

“It’s nothing, Ned. He just offered me a ride,” Peter lied. Ned wasn’t the least bit convinced. He mouthed to Peter as he started walking away, making the motion for texting with his fingers. Peter forced a smile and gave him a thumbs up. Peter slowly made his way towards the vehicle. Apparently, he was moving to cautiously for Happy’s liking, but Happy stood up out of the car with an annoyed expression.

“Yes, it’s me. Can you move faster, please?” Peter’s face grew bright red as he scurried to the backseat, slamming the door.

“What’s going on? Is it Mr. Stark?” Peter interrogated. Happy gave him a deadpan look in his rearview mirror. “Right, sorry. See it when we get there.”

Peter began to recognize the roads they were taking though. Happy drove him down them quite a few times now. They were headed to the Stark cabin. Peter tried to sit patiently at Happy slowly pulled up. He resisted taking off out of the car lest Happy had something to say to him. He didn’t. The man got out, leaving Peter behind.

“Peter!” Peter’s face lit up when he heard the familiar high-pitched voice of Morgan Stark. She was smiling at him through the screen door.

“Morgan!” Peter yelled back. When Morgan demanded a hug, she wouldn’t let go until she was latched onto Peter’s leg as he tried to walk through the house. He did it casually, so it wasn’t so obvious that he was looking for Tony. “Where’s Pepper?”

“Right here,” Pepper greeted, giving Peter a hug. “He’s waiting for you downstairs.” Peter paused, staring at her. She gave him a knowing look and ruffled his hair. “Come have your snack Morgan. Peter needs to talk to Daddy.”

“I wanna go,” Morgan pouted, getting off of Peter’s leg anyway.

“After your snack,” Pepper bargained. She took Morgan’s hand and led her away, nodding towards the basement door. Peter smiled and went towards the door. The lights were already on, so Peter made his way down. Despite knowing the man was alive, Peter’s breath was taken away when he saw Tony with his back to him.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter stuttered out, blushing as he did.

“I thought I was Tony now,” Tony commented. He turned around and had a smile on his face. Peter’s eyes widened at the familiar goatee.

“Do you remember?” Peter asked quietly, coming down the stairs the rest of the way. He blushed even further when Tony mussed his hair the same way Pepper did.

“Technically, I’ve always remembered you, but yes. I’m back and at ‘em,” Tony reassured.

“What now, then?” Tony raised an eyebrow. “I mean, you’re alive. What are you going to do?”

“Live life?” Tony suggested. “Spend time with my family, you. Stuff I couldn’t before?”

“You’re not going to tell everybody?” Peter stammered. Tony pursed his lips and shrugged.

“I’m sure the world would have a heart attack if I suddenly came back from the dead. That would mean I did the impossible, or I was lying. Neither of them would sit well.”

“But you did do the impossible…”

“I didn’t do anything,” Tony offered Peter a seat at his work bench. Peter could see Tony was working on a watch of sorts. “I am but a mere victim in the whole ordeal. Imagine what people would start accusing us of, asking us to do. ‘Please, you have to bring my son back. He was too young to die,’” Tony gave an example. Peter bit his lip.

“Someone hasn’t watched Pet Sematary,” Peter muttered. Tony laughed despite his best efforts to hide his amusement.

“Thanks, kid. Hey, it’s fine. Chances are I’ll change this again,” Tony gestured to his goatee, “and live a normal life. People often don’t trust themselves if they think they see a celebrity. Also, I’m supposed to be dead. That’ll help.”

“Yeah…” Peter muttered, tracing an indistinguishable shape on his arm. Tony stared at him for a second before clapping to get his attention again.

“Anyway, you’re here for a reason.” Tony stood up and opened what Peter could describe no better than a wardrobe. Peter’s eyes bugged out as Tony pulled out a Spider-Man suit. It looked similar to his Iron-Spider suit that he had briefly retired. “Now, listen—”

“Oh, my god, thank you so much, Tony!” Peter exclaimed, standing up to get a closer look. Tony chuckled and let Peter hold it when he reached his grabby hands out.

“You don’t even know what it does.”

“I don’t care. It looks cool,” Peter gasped. Tony snorted.

“Glad I could appeal to your fashion desires. You want to hear what’s different about it?” Peter nodded his head enthusiastically. “I used something I acquired while out of the atmosphere—”

“You made me an alien suit?” Peter’s jaw dropped.

“It’s called Gracium. Should be bulletproof. That being said—” Tony made a grab for the suit, making Peter whine. “stay away from bullets!”

“What? How am I supposed to—”

“As best you can, try not to get into the bullet’s line of fire just because you can.”

“But you just said it was bulletproof!”

“That doesn’t give you the right to do stupid things. Can I get your word?” Peter pouted. “I could always break the suit back down… Rhodey was pretty adamant I should use the Gracium on him…”

“No, wait. Yes, I won’t do anything stupid on purpose,” Peter begged. Tony rolled his eyes and tossed the suit back to Peter, who squealed out in delight.

“Don’t go around bragging about it, please. Also, don’t let it fall out of your hands. There will be a lot of questions raised if someone analyzes it and finds an element not on Earth.”

“Yes, sir!” Tony sat back with an amused smile as he watched Peter pull on the mask to look at some of the features.

* * *

 

Tony picked up a video call coming from Wilson later that day. He wasn’t too enthused to talk to him, though they hashed out their differences when Tony left Steve with them. He was surprised to see that the video call opened up in the boardroom where everyone minus Tony was sitting.

“Glad to be included,” Tony joked. “What’s going on?”

“We heard back from the Guardians,” Wilson answered. Tony quickly assumed it wasn’t good news by the sullen looks on some of their faces.

“And?”

“They don’t think it’s the Soul Stone.” Tony leaned back in his chair, frowning in thought.

“The Red Skull, the guide of Vormir, confirmed that the Soul Stone was gone and would stay gone.”

“And we believed him?” Tony asked.

“He is not a being with wants or needs anymore,” Strange explained. “He has no reason to lie. Besides, the only way to test out his lie would be to sacrifice another life.”

“Alright,” Tony dismissed. “What now?”

“Thor has a theory about the Time Stone.”

“So we went from one stone to the other?” T’Challa inquired. Strange nodded. “What is exactly is the basis for this?”

“Little to none,” Wilson pointed.

“The Red Skull said something that resonated with Thor: ‘Memories are just the soul’s way of tracking time.’” Everyone took a second to consider this, and no one seemed too pleased with what this suggested.

“Do we think the Red Skull knows something?” Strange shrugged.

“If he does, he’s not giving anymore hints. Thor and the Guardians tried interrogating him for some time.”

“Can someone explain to me why it would be the Time Stone?” Steve piped up, a deep frown on his face.

“Thor suggested that Tony never died,” everyone seemed to flinch at Strange’s words. “Maybe, if you were to get into Stark’s coffin—”

“No, that’s messed up,” Rhodey interrupted.

“I give permission,” Tony said casually, making everyone give him a concerned look. “What? I’m right here. It’s my body that may or may not be in there. We need answers.”

“If it were empty, the conclusion we might draw is that the Time Stone sent his body back in time, before he wielded the stones.”

“How did he end up in space?

“Possibly an after effect of the other stones, like the Space Stone. He’s one of the few that wielded all of them. His death was unnatural. The stones were never meant to be wielded at once.”

“This sounds like bullshit,” Wilson muttered.

“So does a man coming back to life. However, we’ve already achieved time travel, so this is the next best logical explanation,” Strange argued.

“What about Steve? He didn’t wield the Time Stone at all.”

“No, but he did mess with time,” Strange answered, looking over at Steve, who had a sheepish expression. “Everyone else returned, and all the other stones were returned. That should mean that there were no new timelines created, but then Steve never came back.”

“And the Time Stone was unhappy?” Shuri suggested.

“Either that or it was trying to correct things.”

“If it’s trying to correct things, shouldn’t it be done?” Rhodey asked. Strange looked grim.

“Not quite. Think about what we’ve achieved with time travel.” It only took a few seconds for everyone to realize the mission the Avengers went on to retrieve the stones.

“You’re saying it would undo everything we did?” Tony asked, quite horrified. “Is it changing everything back?”

“If that were true,” Steve started, “that would mean things would go back to before Thanos got his hands on it, before anyone got hurt.” Steve suggested it like it wasn’t too bad of a thought, but he didn’t have a wife or daughter to think about. He was one of the ones who hadn’t sought to rebuild their life in those five years. What about everyone else who attempted to move on?

“Do we want to take that risk?” Strange asked. “The timeline we’ve created isn’t linear. Trying to undo it could be messy.”

“No,” Tony declared. “We can’t take that risk.”

“Now, hold on,” Steve started to argue.

“No. People have built lives in the past five plus years. Who’s to say the Time Stone won’t stop before Bruce snapped his fingers to bring back half the universe? Who’s to say the Time Stone won’t stop until it goes back to the beginning of everything?” Everyone let Tony’s words sink in. “This needs to end.”

“How do we achieve that?” T’Challa asked, looking at Strange for consultation. Strange looked troubled, like he was strongly considering something. For someone who seemed to know the answers all the time, this look was unsettling for everyone. The room was silent while Strange was thinking.

“We need to destroy the Time Stone,” Tony said quietly. This brought an unsettling uproar.

“Won’t that mess everything up?” Bucky asked.

“We don’t have the Time Stone anymore. It’s already gone,” Steve pointed out.

“It’s not gone. It’s just not here.” Everyone silenced at Strange’s words. He leaned forward on the table. “We put all the stones back so no new timelines were created. We go back and destroy the Time Stone, a new timeline is created, but the stone is also gone forever.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Rhodey said. “It’s already destroyed here. How would destroying it back in time make a difference?”

“Thanos destroyed the Time Stone in its proper timeline. If we use Pym’s technology to go back in time, we’d be destroying it unnaturally. It wouldn’t be able to correct the mistakes.”

“Wouldn’t that screw up things for us?”

“New timeline,” Tony muttered. “Our past is our future, so no, it wouldn’t screw things up for this.”

“This is too confusing,” Steve muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“We go back in time unnaturally, destroy the Time Stone, return home, and live happily ever after,” Tony explained. He didn’t seem to have any qualms with the idea, adding credibility to the idea.

“What if it’s not the Time Stone?” Shuri suggested.

“Then we destroy them all unnaturally, stone by stone.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Strange announced. “There are going to be problems that arise from certain people when we try to destroy the stone, making an unnatural timeline…”

“What if there’s already an unnatural timeline…” Tony mumbled. They looked towards the screen, where Tony was thinking.

“Where did it start?” Strange questioned.

“2012.” The year made a lot of people perked up as they recognized it, particularly Steve. “We might have screwed things up a bit the first time we went for the stones. Technically it was 2012 Hulk’s fault,” Tony explained. Bruce looked confused, like he couldn’t remember. “I had a hold of the Tesseract when the Hulk smashed through the door. I dropped it, and it slid towards Loki, who picked it up and disappeared.” Everyone seemed to groan while Tony held up his hands innocently. “It was out of my hands, literally!”

“So there’s already a new timeline created,” Strange muttered. “Perfect. We’ll go back there.”

“I kind of already told the last Sorcerer Supreme lady that nothing could go wrong since I returned the Time Stone…” Bruce piped up. Strange nodded.

“That’s the problem we are going to run into. Alright, it’s time to assemble a team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joe Russo made a joke about wanting Tony to die in Civil War not Endgame, and it's still too soon for me. :,)  
> It is just me or is the entire time travel talk in Endgame nonsense? Either way, I tried to use it here anyway.


	27. Let's Not Fix What's Not Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are set up for their trip. Something goes wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read my series "The Hero's Journey," you know I love time travel fics. This is still some "hand-wavy" science, though.

Hank Pym had to resist scoffing when he got a call from Tony Stark. He had actually ignored the first one, claiming he had important business to tend to. Frankly, he felt good about denying a call from the man that was supposed to be dead. He wasn’t entirely lying. He was still recovering his life like everyone else. However, he figured he’d have to pick up if not just to stop getting calls from Scott Lang. He had been going on about Tony Stark being alive and how important it was that he pick up the damn phone.

“You’re kidding, right?” Pym deadpanned over the phone. He heard Stark sigh from the other side and knew how serious he was being.

“Trust me, I’d rather recreate the formula myself, but I decided to be a team player and ask first,” Stark responded.

“Meaning you’ll still do it even if I say no,” Pym snarked. “Figures.”

“I get you had shit with my father, but, guess what, so did I!” Stark exclaimed. “I can’t explain what the entire situation is unless you want to talk to Wilson, but you said you didn’t want to.”

“I don’t want to associate with the Avengers,” Pym said the name like it was dirt on his tongue.

“Then work with me here.” Pym was quiet for a second, making Stark scared he hung up.

“Tell me what you can. What are you using it for?”

“What, you’ll actually let me use it?”

“You wouldn’t call to waste my time if it wasn’t serious. Lang told me how you were able to make time travel possible. That’s what you’re doing, isn’t it?” Pym smirked when he heard Stark curse Lang from the other side of the line.

“Fine, yes, but you didn’t hear it from me if Wilson asks.”

“Is this a problem that’s going to affect me or anyone I love?” Pym asked, leaning back in his chair.

“Not if you let us use them,” Stark replied desperately.

“How much do you need?”

“What?”

“I need an exact amount that you need for your trip there and back?”

“What if we mess up?”

“Then you better account for that when giving me your exact number. I want a report written up on how you use each and every ounce.”

“Christ, fine. I’m not trying to steal your shit, Pym. I’m not even supposed to be alive.”

“Does this have to do with your walking dead situation?”

“Jokes on you, old man. I never died, technically, in time…” Pym scoffed and frowned. “Not important. I’ll get the details to you when we hash them out ourselves. Feel free to send them with Lang instead of yourself.”

* * *

 

“Who all is going?” Rhodey asked randomly while everyone was arguing about statistics and tests. “Actually back in time, who’s going?" Everyone seemed excited to go back in time despite the danger of it all. Everyone was shouting out how they were going.

“Not everyone is making the trip back,” Strange stated the obvious. “We need to be mindful of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

“So we know Strange is going back,” Rhodey announced. “Who else?”

“Can’t draw attention to Wakanda that early,” Shuri piped up. “We’re out.”

“Why don’t we just send Tony, Steve, and Bruce again?” Rhodey asked. “They’ve already been to that time period and would fit in the best. If Barnes got caught, all bets would be off. War Machine is still too new, and I’d be a dead giveaway if they saw my leg braces.”

“Why would Banner go?” Bucky asked. “Wouldn’t that draw attention to him?”

“Maybe that’s the kind of attention we need. The Hulk is bound to get attention whether or not he’s destroying anything. At that point, Bruce can’t remember anything he does as the Hulk. Maybe we get Steve to restrain the 2012 Bruce while our Bruce makes a roar. I can go with Strange to receive the stone,” Tony explained.

“Why would we need attention on Banner?” Wilson asked.

“Because we’re dealing with the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. who are on top of everything after New York is invaded by aliens,” Tony deadpanned. “They didn’t notice anything was up last time because we had just finished the battle. Provided we’re going in after a couple days to give time in between when the stone was returned and when we plan to put up a fight for it.”

“Then what?” Rhodey asked. “We get the Time Stone. How do we destroy it?”

“We have somebody for that,” Steve claimed. It was then that Tony remembered with disdain what had happened from their end in Wakanda when they lost the battle. Tony groaned lowly to himself.

“Does anyone have tabs on Maximoff?” T’Challa asked when the room fell silent. Eventually, they all turned to Wilson, who had to have been the last one to talk to her.

“Don’t look at me. She disappeared after the battle.”

“Great. The witch is in the wild,” Tony mumbled, causing a disapproving glare from Rogers. “Well, we know what your job will be while we’re away.”

“But…it only takes ten seconds…” Bruce commented.

“Better work fast then!” Tony smiled. “Alright. We need to get this stuff done so I can get this shit to Pym before the stick gets jammed back up his ass.”

“What exactly does Pym know?” T’Challa asked, nervous about the entire situation getting out to the public.

“Pym found out from Lang who found out from Wilson,” Tony explained calmly. “Old fart would have never trusted us if he didn’t know I was alive.”

“But I thought he hated you?” Wilson asked.

“Technically, he hated my father, but yes it passes down. I’m sure finding out a Stark came back to life was enough to scare him into helping out. Maybe he’s hoping I die again.”

“Can we not talk about you dying, Tones, please,” Rhodey pleaded. Tony waved him off and looked at Strange.

“Can you track Maximoff down?”

“Out of thin air?” Strange laughed. “No. I don’t suppose you have a strand of her hair?”

“I don’t think anyone around here was sentimental enough to keep a lock of her hair,” Tony muttered. “Where the hell could she be?”

“Probably still in America,” Steve offered up as a possibility. “She seemed very upset to be gone after things went awry…”

“Is she here legally?” Rhodey asked.

“Unlikely,” Tony answered. “Which means she’s probably under an alias. It’s complicated, because there are many people who had to restore their identity.”

“Isn’t that great?” Bucky drawled sarcastically.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Tony said. “She’s probably not hiding very well. We can find her like you find any other criminal in the United States.”

“She’s not a criminal,” Steve muttered non-committedly.

“FRIDAY, run facial recognition, please,” Tony called out.

“Searching, Boss," FRIDAY complied.

“She’ll search every media platform and camera footage she has access to. It helps if she’s been using her powers.”

 

* * *

 

It took a lot of convincing to T’Challa and Shuri that the time travel method they were using didn’t need to be improved. It worked last time without trouble, and they didn’t need any unforeseen consequences just because things could be “improved.”

Wilson and Bucky were still skeptical despite how on board everyone was about the idea. They hadn’t actually been around when they had to send everyone back in order to bring them back. The time had come for Tony and Bruce to prove it to everyone that they knew what they were doing.

“You ready, Wilson?” Bruce asked, making sure everything was up to speed. Wilson was suited up in one of the many suits Tony had provided them for the trip. Wilson didn’t look enthused.

“Shit, fine. Yeah, let’s go,” Wilson said, bracing himself. It wasn’t as overwhelming as he thought it would. Almost like vertigo, standing up too fast. He blinked a few times and recognized his old apartment. If he listened hard enough, he could hear Captain America and Black Widow speaking with him in the next room. He got chills. His eyes flickered around the room, trying to think of something discreet to take back with him.

His eyes fell on a deck of cards. He grabbed it when he realized that Banner was about to pull him back. He had only just gotten his hands on the box when he was falling onto his knees back in 2023. His eyes were wide, and his hands were shaking as he held up the deck of cards.

Bucky moved forward and snatched the cards out of his hands, just as astonished as Wilson was. Shuri looked impressed and moved to study the deck of cards herself.

“They’re just cards, princess. You’re not going to find any unusual modifications because my method works fine,” Tony drawled. Shuri glared at him for all of two seconds before turning her attention back to the cards. “Feel free to improve everything like you usually do after the mission is complete.”

“Or not,” Strange interrupted. “Don’t want to take many more risks in changing things.”

“But it doesn’t affect us?” Bucky commented.

“It doesn’t affect us directly, but we don’t know any of the consequences that may follow even if we do successfully destroy the Time Stone.”

“When we successfully destroy the Time Stone,” Tony corrected. “You gotta keep positive vibes for a positive trip, Strange.” Strange ignored Tony.

“We’re ready, right?” Steve asked. “We have everything done? Sam just confirmed that it was safe and accurate.” Bruce nodded.

“As long as everyone keeps their hands off until tomorrow morning, we should be able to go with no problems,” Bruce announced with a sigh.

“So let’s eat up and get some sleep,” Steve stated. “We’ll need our energy for tomorrow.”

* * *

 

Peter knew he was pushing the limits by sneaking out again, but he had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling. Almost immediately upon waking up, Peter knew the problem rested with Tony, who was at the compound. Sure, Happy might be mad, and Pepper might be disappointed, but they’d get over it if he managed to save Tony.

It surely didn’t help that Peter had a brand-new suit that had that fresh new car smell like the other one had when he first put it on. Karen greeted him when he put the mask on and asked what he was planning to do this time of night.

“Technically, Karen, it’s early morning,” Peter corrected, looking at the digital clock Karen provided which read 5:03 AM.

“Yes. However, based on your previous sleeping patterns, you would normally wake up in approximately five hours and twenty—”

“Yeah, Karen. I get it. I’m trying out something new,” Peter lied. He didn’t bother asking Karen for a route to the compound. He knew it too well. He got swinging, hoping that he could save Tony and be back before anyone woke up.

“Should I make Mr. Stark aware of your visit?”

“Isn’t he sleeping?”

“It is a possibility.”

“No,” Peter played off, like he wasn’t completely freaking out about Karen possibly giving himself away. “He probably needs it.” Karen didn’t respond, and Peter hoped he was home free. He made excellent time. The compound had signs of people being there recently, but it had been quickly cleared. Peter squinted, wondering if maybe there was someone in there that wasn’t supposed to be. Weren’t all the people supposed to be back?

“Hey, Karen,” Peter whispered.

“Yes, Peter?”

“Can you scan the compound?”

“Of course, Peter. What am I scanning for?” Peter’s vision immediately changed as Peter started to see heat signatures.

“Uh, any unusual figures?” Karen hummed.

“I see no signs of hostile persons. Shall I send an alert about your concern?”

“No, it’s fine. I can still get in, right?”

“Yes, Peter.” That was all Peter needed to make a move and get to the compound. Though he technically wasn’t breaking in, he wasn’t supposed to be here. If Tony was here, he was definitely going to get in trouble if caught, but Peter couldn’t get rid of that scary feeling.

However, when Peter was actually in the compound, he wasn’t drawn to Tony. He was drawn to a bigger room, one he had never been in before. He had no idea what he was staring at when he entered. He saw a huge platform and multiple control panels. What was this?

Peter picked up a tube of a red liquid, shaking it around slightly. He hummed to himself.

“Karen, what is this?”

“My best guess is Pym Particles, a compound—”

“Yeah, I get it. Why is it here?” Peter whispered looking around at the set up they had up. He touched one of the devices despite his better judgement.

“I wouldn’t recommend touching that, Mr. Parker,” Peter jumped at the sound of FRIDAY’s voice.

“What? FRIDAY, what is this?”

“It is imperative that you leave everything as it was and make your way out of the room. I will have to inform Boss that—”

“Wait, FRIDAY! Don’t do that.” Peter whisper yelled. He didn’t realize that his hands had clenched when FRIDAY announced that. He felt a sudden sense a vertigo, and FRIDAY could no longer see him.

* * *

 

Tony immediately sat up in bed. He heard FRIDAY calling his name in distress. He slurred out a response.

“What? What! What’s going on?” Tony flung the blankets aside and got up, preparing for a fight.

“There’s a situation with the Quantum—”

“Shit!” Tony interrupted, running out of the bedroom before Friday could even finish the sentence. He entered the room to see Bruce and Strange already messing around with the controls. “What the hell is going on?”

“It appears Peter Parker stopped by for a visit—”

“Dammit, FRI, why didn’t you tell anyone?” Tony growled out, ignoring her response. He ran over to Bruce who was flustered as he worked. “What’s going on?”

“Uh…” Bruce drawled nervously. He pointed towards the floor behind him. Tony turned to see shards of glass and a puddle of Pym Particles.

“Shit.”

“Yes,” Strange responded. “Your ward broke in and started messing with stuff.”

“He didn’t break in if he has access here,” Tony muttered. He ran his hands over his face and groaned as everyone else started to file into the room, demanding to know what’s going on. “Where is he?”

“Considering everything else was left the way it was,” Bruce mumbled. “I’d say 2012.”

“What’s going on?” Steve and Wilson asked at the same time, running over to the three of them.

“This just turned into a rescue mission,” Tony growled. “Bruce, you’re staying here. We don’t have enough Pym Particles for all of us and Peter. Strange, Steve, it’s time to suit up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter loves getting himself into trouble.


	28. A Rescue Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang goes back.

Peter recognized where he was when the vertigo passed. He was in New York, which was a bit relieving. He didn’t mean to be where he was in New York, but he still was in New York. The problem was, he was surrounded by wreckage and dust. He had to cough a few times. He stood up and realized where the trouble he felt came from.

“Uh, Karen?” Peter coughed out. He backed away from the street, further into the abandoned alley. “Karen?”

“Yes, Peter?”

“Oh, good, you’re there.”

“I am currently experiencing problems connecting to my custom server.”

“Oh. Can you find out where we are?”

“I am currently in offline mode. Would you like me to connect to a public domain?”

“That sounds like a bad idea,” Peter muttered to himself, trying to get a look at what was going on. He realized it was daylight outside, like bright daylight. There was also rubble and wreckage almost everywhere, though it looked like it was in the process of being cleaned up. “You know what? It might be an emergency. Let’s do that.”

“Scanning for a public server…” Peter watched nervously as different names invaded his vision. Karen scrolled through most of them until she found one she thought was secure enough. “I seem to be malfunctioning.”

“What?” Peter almost screamed. “Can you even do that? How are you malfunctioning?”

“My data shows the year to be 2012.” Peter felt his stomach drop. “I’m still sensing us to be in New York—”

“2012?” Peter repeated, feeling numb. Karen continued to talk statistics in his ear, but Peter wasn’t listening. He was retracing his steps at the compound. Suddenly all the explanations Tony had given him about how they used Pym Particles to get the stones came back to him. He felt like throwing up. “Shit!”

“I’m sensing you are alarmed.”

“We are in 2012,” Peter explained. “You’re working perfectly fine, Karen.”

“Yes, I was starting to diagnose that after going over your most recent footage.”

“How do we get back?” Peter started to walk through the alley, wanting to stay out of sight in his Spiderman suit, though 2012 Peter hadn’t even been bitten yet.

“You’d need Pym Particles and a decent understanding of the Quantum Realm in order to recreate what Mr. Stark did.” Peter cursed to himself. “However, that seems to be an unnecessary course of events, since FRIDAY must have alerted Mr. Stark and the rest of the compound residents of your excursion.”

“Oh, I’m so in trouble,” Peter whined to himself. Peter heard someone yell out to him. He freaked out, swinging up to the top of the roof before anyone could get close to him.

“I would recommend not moving far. Mr. Stark and the others are probably not too far behind, and it would make it difficult for them to track you.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right…” Peter peeked over the edge of the roof, watching as people he knew were associated with Stark Industries cleaned up the mess. “Do you think I’m safe to hide on the roof?”

“My scans sense no hostile individuals nearby.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“Hey, kid!” Peter quickly turned around, frightened to hell when he realized it was just Tony. He let out a relaxed breath, not realizing how different the suit Tony had on was compared to the Gracium one Tony showed him a few days ago.

“Oh, my god, Tony. I’m so sorry! I just thought you were hurt, and I didn’t mean to mess with the particles!” Peter started ranting out an apology before Tony could get another word in, scared he’d be reprimanded before he could explain himself. Tony only got closer, never taking his mask off. “Where are the others?”

“The others?” Tony looked around, like he was searching for enemies. “What are you doing up here, kid?”

“Uh, well, I didn’t want to be seen, but Karen told me not to get too far away—”

“Karen?”

“I messed up the whole mission, didn’t I? What was the mission, anyway—”

“Who are you?” Peter paused, squinting at the mask. Crap, was that not Tony under the mask, was it.

“Uh…” Peter said stupidly, suddenly glad he hadn’t taken off his mask.

“Get up and take the mask off,” The not-Tony demanded, pointing a repulsor at him. Peter slowly got up, holding his hands up in a “don’t shoot” gesture.

“Uh, I can’t do that.”

“Mask, now.” Peter cursed himself internally, really hoping his Tony would show up any second. What the hell was the other Tony doing here anyways? Peter slowly retracted the mask. His hair was a curly mess, and his eyes were wide in fear. The other Tony immediately dropped his arm.

“Holy shit, you’re twelve,” the other Tony exclaimed. His face mask flipped up, and Peter immediately knew this was the 2012 Tony.

“Hey! I’m sixteen!” Peter corrected indignantly. Peter flinched back when the man stepped out of the suit. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have billionaire stuff to do?” Peter tried playing it off. The other Tony scoffed.

“What am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here?” Tony snarked. “How did a twelve—”

“Sixteen—”

“year-old get past security outlining a very specific border where dangerous, alien materials lie within?”

“Uh…”

“And what’s with the getup?” the other Tony asked, gesturing to Peter up and down.. “Are you trying to play superhero?”

“It’s complicated…”

“What’s on your wrist?” Peter hid both arms behind his back, shaking his head.

“Nothing.” The other Tony rolled his eyes before walking over to Peter.

“You’ll give me your arm if you don’t want me to label you as a threat to our operation and have you arrested for trespassing,” the other Tony explained calmly. Peter glared at him before putting a shaky hand out. Oh god, what if he accidentally altered the future? This was it. Peter was in so much trouble.

“You might not want to…” Peter mumbled as the other Tony started to examine the web gauntlet. He flinched when he pressed down on the button, dispensing webbing all over his shirt.

“What the…” The other Tony looked at his shirt with a confused glare. His head snapped back up to Peter. “What the hell is this? A spider web?”

“No?” Peter said unconvincingly. The man gave him an astonished look. “Look, sir. I didn’t mean to be up here, okay. I should get back to my…mom…?” Peter came up with a terrible lie on the spot. Tony looked unconvinced.

“Yeah, you’re going to have to come with me.”

* * *

 

“Are we ready?” Steve asked nervously. He and the others were decked out in the time traveling suitsr. Steve looked over at Bruce, who looked just as nervous as he did despite the fact that they had both done this before. Bruce gave him a large thumbs up.

“We have to be. We’re saving an idiot,” Tony muttered. His heart was beating out of control as he wondered what Peter was getting up to. He shouldn’t be even seconds behind him, but he wasn’t sure how accurately Bruce could get them there. “Or, I’m saving an idiot.”

They had hashed it out before putting on the suits. Tony, Steve, and Strange would make their way to 2012, where they conveniently knew where the Time Stone was. Steve and Strange would immediately head after the stone, teleporting home as soon as the retrieved it. Tony would take enough Pym Particles for himself and Peter, along with the extra equipment Peter would need to get back. He would save the lecture until they were in the safety of their own time period.

“Do you know where you’re looking, Tony?” Rhodey asked while Tony was suiting up.

“God, no. I just gotta hope that he’s not too far from where this thing was supposed to take him.”

“What if he’s not?” Tony sighed, suddenly very stressed out at the idea.

“FRI?”

“Yes, Boss?”

“Peter was in his suit when he got here, right?”

“Affirmative.”

“And he was still in it when he left?”

“Affirmative.” Tony turned towards Rhodey and shrugged.

“I’ll see if Karen managed to connect to a network and track her down.”

“And if she didn’t?”

“Jesus, Rhodey, then I’ll deal with it? I can’t sit here trying to think of every possible scenario. Each second we’re not there is another second that might be wasted there!”

“But Bruce is transporting you to a specific time. Couldn’t he just transport you to a few minutes before Peter was supposed to get there?” Tony paused in thought.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Tony admitted. Rhodey grinned smugly.

“I’m full of them.”

“Full of shit,” Tony muttered to himself pettily. “Hey, Bruce. Change of plans!” Tony laid out what he wanted coordinated. Same coordinates, a few minutes earlier in the day. Bruce gave him a weird look but set it up anyway.

“Good luck!” Bucky called out mischievously when they all stood on the platform. Steve gave Bucky a forced smile. Stephen and Tony ignored him, as he expected. Suddenly, all three were trying to overcome the sense of vertigo that washed over them. Tony turned around, and he recognized the New York streets.

“Great,” Tony said, checking to make sure everything was okay with FRIDAY. “Get your asses to the stone. Keep in touch is something goes wrong.”

“Try not to get caught,” Strange suggested as he fixed up a portal for him and Steve to walk through. “This timeline may already be ruined with the Tesseract and eventually the Time Stone, but someone seeing two Tony Starks may cause an unnecessary panic.”

“Right.”

“Good luck, Tony,” Steve said before the portal closed. Tony took a deep breath and tried to hide himself further in the alley. He needed to stay out of the way from the obvious cleanup that was still happening days after the Battle of New York, but he needed to keep an eye out for Peter.

It was probably about five minutes before Tony heard anything. He walked back slowly, desperate to not reveal himself to any spectators. He was relieved when he saw Peter looking flustered in the alley by himself, probably talking to Karen. He yelled out to him, not wanting him to go anywhere. He quickly realized that was a bad idea when the kid jumped onto a damn building. Tony groaned lowly.

He was wary to use his suit. While the he hadn’t painted the Gracium the ostentatious red and gold he was known for, a suit clearly shaped into the familiar Iron Man one would draw attention from a mile away. He crept down the alley, looking for a way up to the building.

It was a lot of stairs and a lot of climbing before Tony was able to peek his head over to top of the building where Peter Parker _better_ be. He’d be damned if he climbed this entire way only for the kid to have run off somewhere else. Thankfully, the kid was in the line of sight. Unfortunately, he was dealing with even bigger problems. Tony bit his lip to keep from making any noise and ducked down when he saw himself from 2012 interrogating Peter.

He was only partially panicking. If he peeked over again, there was a chance that JARVIS would make the other Tony aware of someone approaching. However, he definitely had to worry about a kid from 2023 meeting his past self in his Spiderman suit of all things. Tony cursed himself for aiding in cleanup on this one day. Why couldn’t he remember the day that Iron Man was in the streets?

He couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, only bits and pieces. Tony’s stomach dropped when he heard himself grow loud in alarm. _Oh god, please don’t attack Peter because you think he’s an alien_ , he prayed to his past self. He heard himself say something else, causing alarm to come from Peter. Next thing Tony knew, he was looking up at the sky while his past-self carried away the Spider boy, _with his mask off_. Dammit, Peter.

Tony sagged against the wall, trying to calm his heartbeat. He heard something in his earpiece.

“Tony? Hey, Tony?” Steve’s voice rang out. Tony put a finger to his earpiece.

“Yes, what?” Tony growled out.

“You got an eye on Peter yet?”

“I had an eye on Peter,” Tony sighed. “I also had an eye on 2012 me.”

“What?” He heard from both Steve and Strange.

“Apparently, I was aiding in cleanup on this day. He got to Peter before I did.”

“Where are they now?” Steve asked.

“Fuck if I know, they just flew off,” Tony shouted, though his anger wasn’t targeted at Steve. He took some more deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. “Probably to the tower. I’m headed there now.”

“You need backup?” Steve asked. Tony forced a laugh.

“You’re just trying to get away from Strange. I’ll be fine. Just find the Time Stone.” Tony put on the suit just to get a hold of Friday. The tower wasn’t too far of a walk from here, and it was walking it would have to be. Tony couldn’t risk flying this far away and getting seen. He had FRIDAY pull up a route before starting his trek.


	29. I'm You But Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Stephen go after the stone. Tony finds his boy.

The other Tony had a secure hold on Peter, but it was still overwhelming as the man flew him over New York like he weighed nothing. Peter wasn’t expecting him to take him to the tower, which was also ruined. The other Tony gently dropped Peter onto the balcony while he went to take off his suit. He appeared on the balcony with a drink in his hand and a suspicious look on his face.

“What’s your name?” The other Tony asked, taking a sip.

“Uh…” Peter hesitated. He really wasn’t expecting to have to stall for this long before Tony showed up. Now he had no idea what to do.

“Are we really going to do this, kid?”

“This is kidnapping, sir. You have to let me go,” Peter stuttered out. He looked around, wondering how far he could get swinging before the Iron Man suit caught up with him. He couldn’t hide in plain sight anymore, because the man had seen his face.

“Did you make that stuff?” The other Tony pointed to his wrist. “The webbing.”

“Maybe…” Peter answered hesitantly.

“That’s pretty impressive. Where do you go to school?” Tony asked casually, walking closer. Peter scoffed.

“I’m not telling my kidnapper that.”

“Drop it with the whole kidnapper’s thing. If anything, this is a citizen’s arrest. You were trespassing.”

“Well, I apologize, and I’d like to go home.”

“What do you use them for? The shit on my suit hasn’t come off yet.”

“Yeah, it’ll dissolve in a couple hours,” Peter muttered. Tony raised an eyebrow, looking impressed.

“So it’s durable. Can it hold your weight?” Tony interrogated.

“Why would it hold my weight?” Peter sputtered.

“Well, your pajamas are fairly aerodynamic,” he pointed out. “Which I imagine are purposefully designed that way. Looks expensive.”

“Yeah, well…” Peter trailed off nervously.

“The design on the front of your suit is clearly a spider, though, I can’t tell what your suit is made out of,” Tony muttered, squinting to get a closer look. Peter chuckled awkwardly and moved back.

“Oh, that’s not important…” He trailed off.

“From what I could tell just pulling at the stuff on my suit, it doesn’t come off very easily. You’re tiny, I imagine it could hold your weight easily.” Peter coughed awkwardly. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Peter could see that the other Tony was impressed, and he felt himself blush with pride.

“Thanks?”

“What’s your name, kid?” Peter stared at the man for a bit longer, still searching for ill-intentions. He let out a sigh, apologizing to his Tony.

“It’s Peter,” He stammered out.

“Well, Peter. What else can that suit do?”

* * *

 

Strange was an interesting person to work with, to say the least. Steve could tell he probably got along with Tony more than the other Avengers. Tony would know how to fill the awkward silence that Strange was bathing in. Steve didn’t know what else to do besides follow Strange to the New York Sanctum.

“What’s our plan of action?” Steve asked as Strange scoped out the area.

“I’m going to talk to the Ancient One.” Steve mouthed the words ‘Ancient One’ to himself with a confused expression. “And she’s going to give me the stone.” Steve stared at the man, dumbfounded.

“What if she doesn’t?” Steve asked dumbly. Strange ignored him, and Steve could tell he had a deeper plan brewing in his mind that he wasn’t telling him about.

Getting into the sanctum was surprisingly easier than Steve was expecting. Strange walked around like he owned to place. Steve started feeling a bit self-conscious in the Captain America uniform, if only since he’d instantly be recognized.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” They both stopped when they heard a calm voice call out to them. Steve studied the bald woman who looked at both of them with a slight smile on her face. Strange offered a forced smile.

“Ancient One.”

“Can I help you?” She asked, walking around the two of them. “Particularly, can I help you back to where you belong?”

“We can’t leave without what we came for,” Steve explained in a hard tone. She nodded at his words.

“That’s noble. Dedicated. I’m afraid what you’re looking for cannot be given to you.”

“I believe it can,” Stephen spoke up. He eyed the Eye of Agamotto.

“I believe I already spoke to one of your partners a few days ago,” the Ancient One said thoughtfully. “When he assured me he would return the Time Stone to its rightful place. Which you did.” The Ancient One nodded at Steve. It was only then that the memory hit Steve strongly. He was left aghast, wondering how he had ever forgotten. “Am I mistaken to assume things have gone wrong?”

“This doesn’t just affect our timeline. It affects everyone everywhere,” Strange explained. “It is my duty to protect any and all realities, even if that means destroying one of the objects which we protect.” Strange nodded at the Eye of Agamotto. The Ancient One seemed to consider Strange’s words.

“What about when we inevitably fall down our own timeline. What then of the Avengers and yourself who are supposed to save us?”

“With the Time Stone destroyed, it’ll hardly be necessary,” Strange bargained. “Besides, the timeline has already fallen down its own path. A few days ago, the God of Mischief, Loki, disappeared with the Tesseract, the Space Stone.” The Ancient One took in this information as she continued to circle them thoughtfully.

“And he has not been retrieved?”

“The events that were to follow the Battle of New York have already diverged from its original path. You giving up the stone would not diverge it but continue along it.”

“How do you plan to destroy it?”

“A girl was exposed to the Mind Stone. She had the power to destroy the stone.”

Steve was expecting a fight. He had his fists clenched, ready to throw a punch at any time. He straightened up when the Ancient One paused in front of them. Steve was entranced as she curled her fingers and moved her arms to expose the stone from the Eye of Agamotto. Steve’s jaw practically dropped as she gently handed it over to Strange. Strange didn’t surprised at all, immediately hiding the stone away in a pocket dimension.

“Do me a favor, Sorcerer Supreme,” The Ancient One said with a smile. “Try not to alter any more realities.”

* * *

 

Tony tried his best to stay out of the streets. He didn’t remember there being this many people or officials out on every corner. It was only when he got to Stark Tower and saw the high security that he remembered what had happened the last time Tony was here. Loki had gotten away with the Tesseract. Tony sighed and tapped his chest. His armor smoothly covered him as he looked up at the balcony. He had no real way of knowing if Peter was up there, and he could be unintentionally exposing himself if he flies up there. He was hesitant, then he thought about the frightened look on Peter’s face and flew up.

The good thing was he didn’t get shot out of the sky, and that was always a win. The bad thing was, Tony didn’t immediately see Peter. The balcony was still a mess from the battle that had taken place only a few days ago. In his own timeline, Tony remembered finding Pepper and spending time with her. Tony could only imagine how worried and disappointed she must be, since Tony must be looking for Loki. Unfortunately, he found Peter instead.

Tony shed the armor, walking through the destroyed door into the tower. He heard no signs of anyone being home, but he couldn’t imagine where they would be besides the tower. He took a look at the elevator before making his way to the stairs. He went down a few flights, peeking into the window of each floor before he got the one that held a more private lab of his. Depending on what the other Tony knew about Peter, this floor was probably his best bet.

Tony prepared a gauntlet instead of the full suit. He walked silently and briskly, reminding himself of when he unveiled the Mandarin to himself. He got to a heavily secured door and laughed to himself when he realized that the only other person who would know his secret code would be himself. He put it in and was relieved when it opened. He heard voices.

“I wouldn’t recommend that—” Tony’s heart leapt at the sound of Peter’s voice.

“Sorry, I cannot let you do that,” Karen’s voice rang out in the lab. She sounded smug, and Tony felt proud at how secure the AI kept Peter’s suit. “That would be in violation of the ‘Hands Off’ protocol.”

“Huh…” Tony heard the other Tony huff in thought. The newest version of the Iron Spider was years ahead of what 2012 Tony was working with, but the work still had to look familiar. He was an artist, after all. “Who made this?”

“What do you mean?” Peter asked innocently.

“You’re not convincing me that you put this together.”

“What? Why not?” Peter seemed offended. Tony almost groaned with how easily the kid gave into the other Tony’s antics.

“Well, one, your haircut looks like your mom did it—”

“My aunt, actually—”

“And this suit, though I don’t entirely know what it’s made out of, has to cost millions.”

“Maybe my haircut is bad because I spent all my money on this thing,” Peter suggested, self-consciously pulling at a curl. The other Tony had actually barely given a glance at the boy’s hair, but the kid was so easy to pick on. He couldn’t help himself.

“Two, the mechanics of this thing are out of this world, and you’re twelve—”

“I know that you know that I’m sixteen,” Peter muttered gloomily. “And I’m hella smart.”

“Hella?” Tony repeated. “Not gonna lie, haven’t heard that one before. Young folks are out of my league in lingo, but not in engineering. This thing is alien.”

“What?” Peter spat out nervously. “That’s crazy…” He mumbled unconvincingly. Tony facepalmed before walking in with his gauntlet prepared. He could now see the other Tony staring at a screen while Peter stood by with the suit plugged in. Tony almost snorted when he realized that Peter must have not had any clothes on underneath. Peter looked up before the other Tony did, and his eyes lit up.

“Freeze,” Tony called out. The other Tony looked up, untroubled before he saw the repulsor ready to fire at any second. His jaw dropped and he put his hands up.

“Yeah, Frozone!” Peter yelled out excitedly, unplugging his suit and running over to Tony. Tony put an arm around the kid protectively, feeling a huge burden fall off his shoulders at the realization that the kid was safe by his side.

“What the hell…” The other Tony mumbled, staring at a near reflection of himself. “Loki?”

“What?” Tony scrunched up his nose. “Yeah, no. Nice guess, though.”

“Listen, we can talk your punishment out. Just lower the repulsor,” the other Tony bargained. Tony rolled his eyes and lowered his arms, not really afraid of the 2012 version of himself.

“I’m not Loki.” Tony looked over at Peter who was watching the exchange with excited, wide eyes. “We’re leaving.”

“No, wait!” The other Tony sprung into action. “JARVIS, lockdown!” The room dimmed, and Tony could hear the doors click shut and lock. Tony snorted, rolling his eyes. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m you, but better,” Tony snarked, walking over to the door. He punched in the code he knew would turn off the lockdown, not turning around to see the astonished look on the other Tony’s face as JARVIS complied and turned off lockdown.

“How did you know…” Tony wasn’t listening to what the other Tony was saying. As far as he was concerned, the man could spend the rest of his life wondering how he saw himself that one strange day. Right now, all he could worry about was getting Peter home.

“That was kind of badass, Tony. I mean, you just went ‘Freeze!’ And the other Tony was all like ‘Loki?’” Peter gave a dramatic retelling of the situation they were both present for.

“You’re so grounded, by the way,” Tony muttered, guiding Peter upstairs.

“What?” Peter yelled out. “You can’t be serious. What did I do?”

“Besides time traveling with adult supervision,” Tony snarked, “you were supposed to be babysitting, which you ditched on again. That’s twice you’ve betrayed Pepper’s trust.” Peter seemed to shrink as he took in Tony’s angry words. “You’re supposed to be there for Morgan—”

“Stark?” Tony stopped mid-discipline when he heard Steve’s voice. He frowned, because there’s no way he and Strange could be done so soon. He turned and realized his mistake. It wasn’t the Steve Rogers he’d come to know standing in front of him but the 2012 Steve staring at him and the spider kid with complete confusion.


	30. Seeing Double

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past and the future meet.

“Shit,” Tony cursed under his breath as the 2012 Steve walked closer to him.

“Who’s this?” Steve asked in that ever-commanding voice of his that Tony had gotten so sick of hearing.

“No one. We’re leaving,” Tony explained, trying to move before the other Steve could get a better look.

“Tony?” Tony heard Steve from his timeline in his ear. “We’ve got the stone. Do you need help?”

“Oh, thank god,” Tony breathed out in response to Steve, making the other Steve frown at him. “One of you get the stone back, _now_. The other can standby. I’m not sure what I’ll—”

“Stop right there.” Tony had to stop when he noticed the other Tony holding a repulsor aimed at him similar to how he did a few minutes ago.

“Great,” Tony muttered, unconsciously pulling Peter behind him. The other Steve—Tony was going to go with _Rogers_ —glanced between the two of them before settling that the other Tony— _Stark_ —was the Stark he had come to know.

“Who are you?” Rogers demanded, slightly walking closer to intimidate him.

“Don’t hurt him, Rogers! That’s clearly me!” Stark called out, studying Tony from his position a few feet away. “An older me…”

“This is clearly one of Loki’s ploys,” Steve argued, ready to throw a punch.

“What’s the ploy, to look like me twenty years into the future?” The other Tony scoffed. Tony whistled.

“Wow,” Tony said in a faux-offended voice. “Ten, buddy,” Tony corrected sardonically. Steve scoffed, throwing a glance at Stark.

“You expect me to believe that this man time traveled?” Stark frowned and threw his other hand up.

“We had an alien invasion days ago, and now you’re questioning the authenticity of things? He’s clearly me from the future, and I’m guessing the kid is one of the Avengers.”

“I’m not a kid!” “He’s not an Avenger.” Peter and Tony spoke respectively at the same time, both glaring a bit at the other.

“What do you mean I’m not an Avenger! You said so on the ship!” Peter complained.

“That was before you—never mind. It’s complicated,” Tony started to explain before dropping the subject entirely when he saw the interested looks of Stark and Rogers. “You’re right. We are from the future, so you need to let us get back to it.”

“How far in?” Stark asked, not taking his aim off of him.

“Ten-ish,” Tony repeated.

“Where did you find Loki?” Tony stared dumbly. Stark raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

“We didn’t, uh, lose Loki,” Tony answered unconvincingly.

“So you’re not me,” Stark concluded, looking apprehensive again. Tony shook his head.

“No, I am. It’s just complicated.”

“If you’re from the future, you would know what happened in your past,” Rogers reasoned, trying to draw information from any science fiction novel he may have read in the past. Tony rolled his eyes.

“That’s not how time travel works. This is my future. Me talking to you doesn’t affect my timeline at all.”

“Then what happened in yours?” Tony sighed, contemplating what he would say that would get him and Peter out of here sooner. He was running ideas and hoping dumb or dumber would show up soon enough.

“We captured Loki and turned him over to the Asgardians with Thor,” Tony explained honestly. “Then we went on living life. The end.” Both Stark and Rogers looked unconvinced.

“What about the Tesseract?”

“We turned that over as well.” Stark and Rogers shared a look.

“What did we do differently?” Rogers asked mostly directed at Stark. Stark shrugged, not really looking at Rogers. Despite the weird situation they were in, Tony could see how unfamiliar he and Rogers were. If it weren’t for the Loki situation, it would be quite some time before they would talk again.

“Couldn’t tell you,” Tony lied with a shrug. “Nice talk, but we’re going to have to hit the road to get him home by dark.” Stark looked like he was about to lower his arm, and Rogers was still thinking about the whole situation. Tony was quite proud of himself for handling it, but that was before Steve’s figure was revealed in the elevator. Without a second’s delay, Steve launched a shield at Stark’s arm and ran towards Rogers. “Jesus, Rogers, don’t!”

Neither of the Rogers were listening to him. Stark was taken by surprise, falling to the ground and looking around to see who was attacking. Rogers had immediately turned when he saw a shield not too different from his own. Tony could only imagine the kind of day Rogers was having before and after he saw an older version of himself attacking.

Peter sprung to action when he saw a fight going on. First, he tied up Rogers before the man could have a chance to retaliate, jumping around like the agile hero he was. Then, he shot a web towards Stark’s arm, which had fired up a repulsor again. Peter ripped the arm away from its aim and stuck it to the floor. Peter did the same with Stark’s other arm before he could use the other repulsor as well. Peter landed on the bar besides Stark, looking quite proud of himself.

“Jesus, kid. You’re going to give me a heart attack,” Tony breathed out, putting a hand on his chest. Peter smiled smugly.

“Who’s not an Avenger?” Peter asked, gesturing to his hard work. Both Stark and Rogers were staring at Peter with astonished looks on their faces.

“Not you. You’re still grounded,” Tony answered, watching Peter’s smile fall. Steve sighed and looked over at Tony. “Not gonna lie, I was kind of hoping for the wizard, considering the delicate situation.”

“That might have been nice information to convey,” Steve responded, gesturing to his earpiece.

“Well, I was busy. Get over here, Pete.” Peter jumped towards Tony, landing gracefully. Tony gave him a device identical to his and Steve’s, loaded up with Pym Particles.

“Is he your son?” Tony paused when he heard Rogers call out a question. Tony frowned and turned to look at him. Rogers looked like he had given up trying to get out of sticky restraints and settled on watching them. He nodded towards Peter who was staring back with wide eyes and a blush. “Did you experiment on him? Is that why he got his powers—”

“Experiment? What are you—of course I didn’t experiment on him!” Tony answered in a fully offended tone. He realized he and Rogers hadn’t exactly gotten along in 2012, even less so than they did now, but he thought that maybe there’d be a little trust after fighting aliens together.

“Then how did he get his powers?” Peter opened his mouth excitedly to tell his story, but Tony smacked his palm over the kid’s mouth.

“None of your business, Spangles.” Tony gave Peter a tired look. Stark, on the other hand, was watching the whole interaction with an incredulous look.

“My son?” Stark had no doubt did the math on Tony being ten years into the future and Peter being sixteen. “He’s out there?” Tony groaned, looking over at Rogers who looked just as concerned.

“No…” Tony trailed off. “He’s…” He looked to both Peter and Rogers for any help in the situation. “You can’t find him.”

“Like hell I can’t,” Stark scoffed. “He’s my son. Who’s his mom?”

“Not someone you’ve slept with,” Tony snorted. “I know you’ll try to track him down when we leave, but I’m telling you that you can’t get involved. He’s not yours to take.”

“Yet!” Peter piped up excitedly, like he hadn’t already met Tony Stark in his own timeline. Tony rolled his eyes.

“What about the rest of the Avengers?” Rogers asked, looking mostly at his future self. “Do we survive?” Steve coughed awkwardly and looked at Tony, who shrugged. This timeline is fucked anyway.

“Sure…” Steve responded. “Word of advice? Listen to Stark.” Tony was taken back, his jaw dropping as snapped his head over to look at Steve. The man had a sheepish smile on his face and shrugged at Tony. Rogers and Stark essentially had the same like of complete disbelief. “You’ll be better off because of it.”

Rogers looked over at Stark, contemplating the advice he just got. Stark was still most likely thinking about the weird situation with himself and Peter. Tony had no doubt they had severely changed things by talking with themselves.

“Maybe we should go before Strange yells at us for changing more things,” Tony suggested. Rogers nodded. Tony turned towards Peter, explaining to him what he needed to do to get home. “Go ahead, kid. We’ll be behind you.” Peter pouted a bit before pressing the button. Tony felt a weight lift off his shoulders when the kid disappeared from sight, hopefully at home. Steve followed suit, disappearing back to their timeline right after Peter.

“Hey,” Stark called out softly. Tony raised an eyebrow, prepared to hit the button at any moment. “Is Peter the only one?” Tony smiled at Stark’s vague question and contemplated an appropriate answer.

“You know they say that daughters are a punishment and a blessing for fathers who have wronged females in the past,” Tony responded vaguely and thoughtfully. Stark’s mouth opened slightly, but he didn’t respond. Tony smiled and saluted, pressing the button to take him home.

* * *

 

Strange brought the Time Stone out of its pocket dimension as soon as he recognized the people around him. Barely seconds later, Peter, Steve, and Tony popped up beside him. Peter was looking sheepish about the whole situation, waving to everyone who had given him and Tony an amused smile when they appeared back. Tony just looked relieved to see the Time Stone.

“That was quick, you guys,” Rhodey teased, taking in their disheveled appearances. “Anything go wrong?” Tony rolled his eyes and waved him off.

“Not a thing. Everything was perfect,” Tony bluffed. Strange narrowed his eyes at Tony and Steve. Tony ignored him. He gestured towards the Time Stone before Strange put it back in its pocket dimension. “Enough about us. We gotta track down Maximoff. FRIDAY?”

“I have found twenty-one possible hits for Wanda Maximoff,” FRIDAY piped up. She displayed a hologram with images of possible sightings of Maximoff and a map of the United States with various dots as to where she could be. There were a few all over the United States, but everyone could see a red bundle of sightings in Montana.

“Show us just the sightings in Montana, FRI,” Tony requested. FRIDAY eliminated the others, spreading out ten pictures of Maximoff that were captured on cameras somewhere in Montana.

“What’s in Montana?” Bucky asked.

“Nothing. That’s probably the point,” Tony answered with a shrug. They studied the pictures. Despite the darker hair Maximoff had disguised herself with, it was undeniably her. Tony looked at Strange, who was studying the pictures just as closely.

“Think you’re up for the trip?”

“Get me a more precise location, and we’ll find out.” FRIDAY immediately followed the request, using the sighting to give an estimation as to where Maximoff was most likely hiding out.

“Will she be hostile?” Bucky asked, uncertain of how much he wanted to personally deal with the witch and her magic.

“Doubtful,” Tony admitted. “If she is, Strange can handle her.”

“What if she doesn’t want to help?” Shuri mused. Tony had considered this possibility before, but he was hopeful that she’d listen to everyone else even if she didn’t listen to him. Tony was grateful he didn’t have to respond.

“Then we’ll help her want to,” Steve answered with absolute certainty. “No room for debate.”

“Who’s going besides Strange?” Rhodey asked.

“Me and Rogers will have to hang back,” Tony answered before adding on, “and Peter isn’t on the list.”

“Hey,” Peter complained, drawing the attention of those who hadn’t met him yet.

“I’ll go,” Bucky volunteered. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t get too far if she makes a run for it.”

“I’ll go, too,” Wilson added. “She’ll need to see a familiar face.” Everyone seemed to nod in agreement with the two volunteers.

The plan was starting to formulate quickly. Tony was starting to feel like everything in his life would finally settle into place once the Time Stone was destroyed. He could live out his life with his family, maybe reintroduce himself to a couple of people.

Things were finally starting to settle down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for Irondad  
> Also, my friend and I made a new tumblr: respect-tony-stark. You can probably guess what the theme is based on the name.


	31. My Life's Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's cha-boi

Harley Keener wasn’t doing too bad. The whole half-the-world-disappearing thing had really come out of nowhere for him. He had barely noticed when he disappeared, but he was very confused when he came back. His mother was sobbing and clutching his little sister when he walked inside to find out what had happened. His mother had locked eyes with him and basically lunged for him. Harley didn’t know what to say when his mother explained what had happened.

Harley didn’t feel too bad about the situation, just really empty. The part that hit hard was getting an invitation to Tony Stark’s funeral from his wife. The card was heavy in his hands as Harley stared tearfully down at it. It was all the proof his mother needed to confirm that her son really had helped Tony Stark out all those years ago.

Harley barely paid attention to the fact that he was surrounded by the Avengers. He had always kept up with them if not only to keep up with Tony over the years. He noticed a boy his age and wondered what was going on there, but he didn’t bother to stick around once the service was over.

Harley returned to Tennessee where he continued to pretend like he never met Tony Stark in the first place.

Harley was studying for a calc test when he got an email from none other than. Mrs. Pepper Stark. Harley eyed it skeptically before clicking on the message. He wasn’t studying that hard for the test anyway. He thought the message was fake at first, but he recognized the email from that last time they had corresponded, when Mrs. Stark arranged his flight to New York.

She was offering a trip to New York, which was about the weirdest offer Harley had ever heard of. It was nearing the end of the school year, so finals were coming up. It hadn’t even been a year since Tony’s death, so Harley couldn’t think of a single reason as to why she would be inviting him to visit. He emailed her back with a few queries, not expecting her to respond as fast as she did.

She claimed she wanted it to be a surprise, claiming she would email his mother later in order to keep it. However, she was willing to explain if that’s what he desired. Stark Industries was starting up an internship program for the summer, and Pepper wanted to give Harley an exclusive trip for pre-orientation, if he accepted. Harley stared at the email for a while. He would admit that he had considered working for Stark Industries many times since he met Tony all those years ago, but he never thought it was an achievable goal. Harley didn’t really know what he had to offer other than his relationship with the now deceased man. Maybe Tony had set this up before he died, before he needed to fight for everyone’s lives. Who was Harley to deny the man his final wishes?

It wasn’t very hard to convince him mom to let him go for a week. She squealed with delight at the thought of her son working for a such a prestigious company. It helped even more that she didn’t have to put a dime in. Soon enough, Harley was waving goodbye to his mother and sister through an airplane window, positive neither of them could see him.

* * *

 

Bucky had eyes on Wanda as she slowly stirred her tea. She was in the middle of the café, alone. Bucky relayed this information to Wilson and Strange.

“Keep eyes on her,” Wilson ordered. “Strange and I are getting to her place now.”

“Will do,” Bucky muttered, taking another peek through his binoculars. Wanda continued to sit and sip emotionlessly. It was quite depressing, honestly. He was sitting there for a while before Wanda finally moved to leave. “She’s headed home.”

“Finally,” Wilson complained. “How long does it take to drink a cup of tea?”

“Maybe she’s there for the atmosphere,” Bucky quipped, quickly making his way down the side of the building, so he could get eyes back on Maximoff. Wilson snorted, making Bucky smile from his end. “I’ve got eyes on her again.”

“Anything notable.”

“She seems to be taking the scenic route.” Wilson groaned, making Bucky laugh.

“Why couldn’t she just brood in her room like she used to do?”

“I see her,” Strange said. A hush fell over the intercom once everyone realized they had eyes on Maximoff. She lived in a modest home next to very few neighbors. Bucky assumed Strange and Wilson were already inside when Maximoff opened the door. Bucky crouched down far enough away, so he could see and break out into a sprint if need be.

Maximoff was setting her things down on her counter when Strange silently walked in with Wilson. She turned around and immediately freaked out, her magic flaring out immediately to capture the home invaders. Strange was unaffected, but he did nothing to help Wilson, who was now bound by the red tendrils of her magic. Wilson glared at Strange, who was hiding a smirk.

“Sam?” Maximoff breathed out in disbelief, releasing her hold on him. “Did you break into my house?”

“Technically, we appeared in your house,” Wilson clarified. She looked over at Strange.

“Who are you?” Her voice was laced with malice.

“My name is Dr. Stephen Strange—” Wilson rolled his eyes, “We are here for your aid in a significantly large problem—”

“I don’t do that stuff anymore,” Maximoff interrupted, walking past the two of them. Strange and Wilson exchanged a dumbfounded expression before turning to follow Maximoff to the living room where she made herself comfortable, turning on the TV.

“All you have to do is destroy a stone.” Maximoff froze.

“You still have a stone? How?”

“The Time Stone,” Wilson explained. “It’s messing things up throughout time, so we need to destroy it. You’re the only one we know who can do it effectively.” Maximoff looked down at her hands, without a doubt remembering the last time she had to destroy a stone.

“I don’t want—”

“Frankly, Miss Maximoff, it’s not about what you want,” Strange interrupted, already irritated by the single-minded path this conversation was starting to head down. “Should you not destroy the stone, millions of other lives could be affected. It was your actions or lack thereof that aided Thanos in succeeding that last time you refused to destroy a stone. Are you willing to put millions at risk _again_?” Strange didn’t hold back. Wilson’s jaw dropped. Even Bucky was taken back as he listened over the com. Maximoff dropped her gaze and looked at her clenched hands again.

Soon, Maximoff was walking out of her bedroom with a small overnight bag in her hand, looking at them guiltily. She flinched back when Strange opened a portal back to New York. She frowned when Bucky walked through the door like he owned the place, being the first to disappear through the portal.

“I thought Thanos used the Time Stone to get the Mind Stone…” Wilson muttered to Strange as they all approached the compound.

“He did,” Strange whispered back. “But she has the world’s guiltiest conscience after Vision’s death.”

“That’s cold,” Bucky muttered, though he didn’t seem too upset by how everything went down.

“I think we can all agree that we keep these mission details away from Cap,” Wilson whispered desperately, causing Bucky to laugh.

* * *

 

Tony totally ditched once he did the whole time travel fiasco, because his job was done. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to see Maximoff return, so he decided that he would just take their word that the stone was destroyed. Besides, Pepper claimed to have a surprise for him.

Peter was visiting as well, which was always enjoyable. The teen looked pleased to find out that grounded meant not taking the suit out instead of being banned from seeing him or the other Avengers.

Tony was hanging around with Peter and Morgan while Pepper was supposedly out to get the surprise. Honestly, Tony would be happy if it was just an Italian sub. He never thought he would be so content to just sit on the couch. His mind flickered back to when he initially woke up on Yundar, and it seemed completely unreal.

His head is leaning against the back of the sofa, and his eyes are shut when he hears the front door open and shut. Peter continued to play with Morgan, so either Pepper came home or they hadn’t even bothered to look. Tony was too tired to open his eyes.

“Tony?” Pepper asked hesitantly. Tony grunted to indicate that he was still awake. “I brought you your surprise.” Tony held out his hands, making Pepper giggle. “You’re going to have to just open your eyes instead.” Tony complied, looking tiredly up at Pepper. She had a soft smile on her face. Tony hadn’t even noticed that Morgan and Peter had stopped playing, staring at the other stranger in the room. Tony slightly turned his head to see the “surprise.” Harley Keener stood tall in the room, probably taller than all of them. His hair was darker, and he nervously fiddled with thumbs. He, like almost everyone else Tony had come into contact with recently, had the same astonished look on his face.

“Harley?” Tony grumbled, sitting up tiredly. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t mistaking the boy for someone else. “What the hell. I thought you lived in Tennessee?”

“I thought you were dead,” Harley quipped without missing a beat. Tony raised his eyebrows and smiled. He stood up, and it took no time for Harley to throw his arms around the man.

“Fair enough,” Tony grunted, hugging the kid back. Harley maintained his tough exterior despite the whirlwind of emotions he felt. “This _is_ a surprise,” Tony said to Pepper. She smiled and sat down on the couch.

“Hopefully a nice one after dealing with the other problem children for a few days.”

“Hey!” Both Peter and Morgan yelled out and glared at Pepper. Harley looked over at the child and teen sitting on the floor studying him. He waved an awkward hand.

“Hey, I’m Harley,” Harley mumbled awkwardly.

“Is he your son too?” Morgan wondered, squinting her eyes. Peter choked on nothing, while Pepper laughed at the incredulous look on Harley and Tony’s faces.

“No, I just met him a long time ago,” Harley explained to the eerily smart little girl. “I also went to his funeral.”

“So did I,” Peter and Morgan responded. Peter blushed when everyone eyed the two of them. Peter stood up so he looked more like the teen he was. “I’m Peter,” he introduced himself, holding out a hand. Harley shook it awkwardly. He couldn’t remember the last time he shook the hand of another teen. Morgan didn’t get up. She continued to stare at him.

“I’m Morgan,” she introduced. Harley smiled and gave a small wave.

“Looks like you’re going to have to bunk, Pete,” Tony suggested. Peter shrugged, used to bunking with Ned when he slept over. He wasn’t too sure how well he’d get along with this Harley kid, but it generally took a lot to get on Peter’s nerves.

“Peter is supposed to have a slumber party with me,” Morgan pouted. Pepper got up, ready to get Morgan prepared for bed.

“Maybe you can ask him tomorrow,” Pepper suggested. Morgan must have accepted defeat, because she got up to walk away with her mom. Peter tried to casually sit back down on the ground, flopping ungracefully. Harley took a seat on the couch next to Tony.

“Are you going to explain the whole…” Harley gestured to all of Tony.

“Avengers business,” Tony joked. Harley gave a slight smile, but Tony could still see the unease in his eyes. “It has to do with the way I died, but everything’s fixed now.”

“Is it really?” Peter mumbled. Tony quirked an eyebrow at him. “After everything is said and done, I mean. What are you going to do? You still technically lost your life…”

“Are you going to tell the world that you’re back?” Harley questioned. Tony laughed at how seriously both of them looked in that moment. Harley and Peter shared a look, like they were wondering why they put up with this guy. It made Tony’s heart swell.

“I don’t know what you guys are complaining about,” Tony drawled. “My entire life is right here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Strange, but he sure is cold here :)


	32. Epilogue

There was an unmentioned tension in the room as Maximoff eyed the Time Stone sitting casually in the center of the room. Every sans Tony had gathered around, ready for this chapter of their lives to finally end. There were emotions resurfacing as Maximoff recalled the last time she destroyed the stone. There was a lot more stress and tension back then, so she tried to relax herself.

Everyone else seemed pretty wary about any possible side effects. Strange was the most well-informed about the stone, so he constantly reassured them that they were safe. He never knew that before, but he wasn’t going to tell them that.

“We’re sure this will work,” Bruce whispered to Strange. “I mean, across all the timelines?”

“Of course it will.”

“It’s just, it didn’t when she destroyed the Mind Stone,” Bruce mentioned. Strange smirked.

“That was because Thanos had the _Time Stone_ ,” Strange pointed out. “The Time Stone affects multiple timelines, so there’s no reason it shouldn’t disappear from all of them when it’s destroyed properly.” Strange let out a scoff. “It was arrogant to think he could destroy any of the stones with the stones. They’re not self-destructive.”

“So, you’re saying the others are still out there?” Bruce whispered, watching as Maximoff started to warm up. Strange shrugged, not taking his eyes off the witch.

“It’s not a problem now, so there’s no real way to know.” Not the answer Bruce wanted to hear but the only one he was going to get from Strange.

Red overtook the room as Maximoff pushed more and more of her energy into destroying the stone. Her face was scrunched up as she tried to concentrate, pushing with both hands. Everyone’s eyes were locked onto the stone as cracks started to appear, Maximoff’s red magic mixing with the green glow it was emitting. Stephen started to form a protective shield, just in case.

The breaking of the stone took them all by surprise. They all felt a wave of energy wash over them as the stone cracked into thousands of pieces. Maximoff fell to the ground, having exerted most of her energy. Wilson moved to check on her. Strange moved to check on the stone. He didn’t feel anything from it, not like he had before. It wasn’t just its physical state destroyed but its entire magical property. Strange looked up at Steve, who was eyeing the broken pieces like everyone else. He waited for side effects but saw none. It was Rhodey who first gave out a celebratory yell.

There was a small celebration for everyone who had attended. Strange stood aside watching as everyone conversed with joy and relief on their faces. Even Maximoff had began to open up a little. Strange made himself a reminder to check on Stark and Rogers every once and a while. With a smirk, he opened a portal and disappeared from the compound.

Wilson could not possibly be happier. Strange was gone, the Time Stone was destroyed, and everything could possibly start to return to normal. He talked to Steve about some of his plans, and they mostly included checking out Brooklyn again. Like Tony, he had to get used to life with people thinking you were gone for good. Wilson suggested some hair dye and maybe a pair of glasses.

He sent a vague message to the Guardians and Carol during the celebration: “We Won.”

Barnes seemed pretty adamant about returning to Wakanda. He still had sheep to take care of. T’Challa claimed that he still had no objections, though they should work on his citizenship. Shuri said it was fine as long as he didn’t continue to live out as a hermit for the rest of his life.

Everyone purposefully ignored the topic of Steve and Tony’s unique situation and the possible problems that could occur. The brief relief from the stress was more than welcome.

* * *

 

Tony got a call from Rhodey the next day. The Time Stone was gone, simple as that. Tony assured him he felt no side effects and wouldn’t disappear again. He didn’t stay on the phone long, opting to enjoy his breakfast with his family.

He hadn’t been surprised when he heard Harley and Peter still talking in the middle of the night when he got up for a glass of water. The two got along despite the initial awkwardness. Peter’s constant excitement paired with Harley’s sass created a perfect chemistry for their friendship. That, and Tony remembered that they were both huge nerds.

Morgan overcame her initial jealousy for Harley by constantly teasing him. She had quick wit and was able to counter all of Harley’s arguments and sarcasms with her own clever rebuttals, often living Harley and Pepper dumbfounded.

“I think MJ taught her that,” Peter muttered apologetically with a laugh. Pepper laughed and shook her head.

“I think she got it genetically from her father,” Pepper replied. Tony shared a smile with her. Morgan smiled mischievously, asking for another piece of toast.

For now, Tony had no issue with how his life was proceeding. The idea of him revealing his identity to the world again was always going to be on the table, but, as he looked around the kitchen, he couldn’t think of any reason he should mess with the perfect life he already had. Pepper was fixing Morgan another piece of toast. Peter and Harley had gotten into it about something again. All Tony could do was smile.

* * *

 

Tony went into the city by himself later that day. The sun was starting to set, but the night life was just beginning. It was the first time since arriving on Earth that Tony had really been by himself, and it was the first time coming out into the city like this. It was strange seeing all the people around again. People walked home with their families or held hands with their loved ones. Tony realized he had a hand in making this happen.

He had on a beanie instead of a baseball cap with a pair of dark sunglasses. He didn’t think anyone would recognize him regardless. That was until he came upon the first of many shrines he would see that night.

Tony stopped and stared into the alleyway. It was freshly built, given by the still lit candles that were surely a fire hazard in between the two buildings. Decorating one side of the building was a beautiful piece of artwork of the iconic Iron Man mask, identical to the one Tony had seen on Xandar all those weeks ago. On the other was a similar graffiti style of Tony’s actual face with the iconic goatee. It reminded him of the Battle of New York all those years ago.

On the ground were multiple pictures in frames or just attached to the makeshift shrine. Some were just of Tony through the years, even when he was just a kid in some newspaper clippings. Others had Tony smiling with a fan he met in the streets or at various events. Some photos were of him shaking hands with important people or with his arm wrapped around Pepper. Some were pictures that both kids and adults drew. They were drawn in crayons, colored pencils, paint, and more. The closer Tony got, he realized that there were some papers laid out. He picked one up to realize that they were letters.

He saved that one girl’s life that one day. He gave a hug to that one little boy at that one convention. He complimented that kid’s robot at that one science fair. He saved their family and the rest of the world. He inspired this one man to chase his dreams. He changed that one lady’s life after talking to her. Tony went through multiple letters, his eyes tearing up at each one. He hadn’t even realized that people outside of his friends and family would mourn him like this.

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” Tony jumped and turned to see a woman looking solemnly at the shrine. Tony placed the letters back down.

“What is?”

“The letters,” the woman said, coming closer to look at them. Tony felt his heart beat faster, so he went to make sure his beanie was well-adjusted.

“I mean…” Tony trailed off. The woman delicately picked one of the letter up along with a picture frame.

“He’s never going to get to read them,” she commented sadly. “Some of these people never had the guts to send these when he was still alive, and now it’s too late. They say how much he inspired him or how much they loved what he did. I’d hope so. You’re alive because of him.”

“That is kind of sad,” Tony said awkwardly.

“All this artworks and all these monuments…” she muttered. “People don’t appreciate anybody until they’re gone.” Tony snorted.

“Tell me about it.” The woman smiled at him, placing the letter and the picture back down.

“Were you a fan?” She asked nicely.

“Uh…” Tony stalled. “Not a huge one. I admired his work.” The woman nodded.

“I was. You should’ve seen me when he announced that he was Iron Man. I probably annoyed my parents to death with how much of a fangirl I was.” Tony laughed without meaning to. He tried to cover it with a cough, but she just smiled at him. “It’s fine. You can laugh. I dressed up as him for Halloween and kept asking for an Iron Man helmet for Christmas. I was a dork.”

“I’m sorry,” Tony said. “You must be very upset.” The woman shrugged.

“It was a few months ago now. It’s not like I knew him personally.” She paused. “The hard part was coming back and hearing he died a few days later.” Tony cringed, not expecting her to have been a victim. She looked young. She should have been well into adulthood by now.

“Yeah…”

“We all saw it on TV, and I didn’t believe it. Then I saw it trending on Twitter…I cried. I think my entire family did. We were all pretty emotional when some of us came back. A few days later, shrines like these were all over. It sucked for the people who were gone for five years. The people who didn’t disappear had to explain what had happened since. Apparently he had a daughter and everything.”

“Twitter?” The woman snorted.

“Yeah, pretty sure it crashed. No one was prepared for that news.”

They fell silent for a bit. Tony thought about what the woman had told him. He was reminded of Dalia from way back and how impressed she seemed at the mystery figure that destroyed the Chitauri fleet. He was reminded by Jole and the boys who teased him about imitating the hero of half the universe. Tony felt himself tear up.

“I don’t know if there will ever be a bigger legacy than Tony Stark,” the woman whispered. “He practically invented the word hero.” Tony held back some sniffles. The woman turned and gave him a soft smile before walking off. Tony stared at the shrine a bit longer.

He came across a few more, along with some dedicated to Steve, Bruce, Natasha, or the Avengers as a whole. Tony reminded himself to tell Pepper that she should announce that she would take any letters and drawings dedicated to Tony. Maybe it would provide closure to some. Maybe it would remind people that the world was safe now, thanks to him. That even though Earth’s best defender was gone, they could continue to live on in peace.

A little over five years ago, Tony had never felt more depressed in his entire life. Peter had slipped through his fingers, and they had lost half the universe. Tony’s mind was plagued with that memory on Titan, and he had nightmares daily. That put him in a slump it took an entire year to overcome, even with a baby on the way. Now, everything had changed. He had his new family with Pepper and Morgan and his old one re-established when Peter came back. Despite how tearful some of the letters on these monuments were, Tony couldn’t help but feel like he could never be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I tease a lot here, but that's really the end. I'm going back to school and already posting another long fic, so you should check that one out. It's called Another Way. That being said, I originally wrote this because a lot of us were disappointed with the end of endgame, for obvious reasons. Just add this on top of your list of reasons for denial.
> 
> If you want to, feel free to write based on this universe where Tony is alive. I got a couple people commenting about a fic based off the other Tony. Sounds like a good idea if anyone wants to write it, but I just don't have the time anymore.
> 
> Thanks to the people who stuck around throughout my posting. I hope the vague ending gives more hope than endgame did. If you want to ask questions about things you didn't think I answered in this chapter, hopefully I can give some insight. Otherwise, I'd be honored to hear about what you liked most while reading it.


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